Cessna 172P accident near Missing Acft, California, August 30, 1987
On August 30, 1987, a Cessna 172P, registered N65797, was destroyed in an accident near Missing Acft, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- August 30, 1987
- Place
- Missing Acft, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65797 · registry record · serial 17275893
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOLD FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT HE WAS GOING TO FLY ALONG THE COAST AND RETURN AT NIGHT. HE DID NOT RETURN. THE CIVIL AIR PATROL SEARCHED FOR THE AIRCRAFT AND PILOT FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT VAN NUYS AIRPORT, VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, ON AUGUST 29, 1987, AT 1700 PDT. THE AIRCRAFT IS PRESUMED TO BE DESTROYED AND THE PILOT FATALLY INJURED.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,355 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 11, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-02 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Green Hornets Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 300° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Observation at 11:46 pm from VNY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.