Cessna 340A accident near San Diego, California, September 30, 1987
On September 30, 1987 at about 2:59 pm local time, a Cessna 340A, registered XAKOA, was destroyed in an accident near San Diego, California (Gen Rodriguez Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. commercial rules. 6 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1987 · about 2:59 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Gen Rodriguez Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- XAKOA · no longer on the register · serial 340A0978
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APRX 0600, THE ACFT DEPD GUERRERO NEGRO, MEXICO ON AN AIR TAXI FLT TO TIJUANA, MEXICO. AT 0715, THE TIJUANA WX WAS RPRTD AS PARTIALLY OBSCURED, VIS 1 MI WITH FOG, HAZE & SMOKE, WIND CALM. DRG ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 9 APCH & RPRTD OVER THE FINAL APCH FIX. HOWEVER, THE ACFT CRASHED AT ABOUT 0759, BFR REACHING THE MIDDLE MARKER,WHICH WAS 1/2 MI FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 9. IMPACT WAS ON A RIDGE ABOUT 110 FT BELOW THE ARPT ELEVATION & APRX 100 YDS NORTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER. THE ACFT WAS FND A SHORT TIME LATER BY U.S. BORDER PATROL PSNL. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THE 0800 WX AT TIJUANA WAS IN PART: SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED, VIS 1/10 MI WITH FOG & HAZE,WIND 210 DEG AT 4 KTS. ABT 1 MI NORTH AT BROWN FIELD, THE WX WAS IN PART: SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED, VIS 3/4 MI WITH FOG & HAZE, WIND 280 DEG AT 4 KTS. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.07%. CALCULATIONS SHOWED THE SUN WOULD HAVE BEEN 16 DEG ABV THE HORIZON ON A MAGNETIC AZIMUTH OF 89.8 DEG.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,525 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,990 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Guerrero Negro at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Tijuana,Mexico OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 8,202 ft by 144 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from SDM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.