Cessna 182L accident near Oceano, California, November 30, 1986
On November 30, 1986 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 182L, registered N66CF, was destroyed in an accident near Oceano, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1986 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Oceano, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N66CF · registry record · serial 18259190
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT WHILE THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING AFTER TAKEOFF, IT APPEARED TO BE LOWER THAN NORMAL. ONE WITNESS RPRTD THAT THE ENG SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH. ANOTHER WITNESS STATED THAT THE ACFT HAD BEGUN MAKING A LEFT TURN WHEN HE SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE LOWER ENG COMPARTMENT. THE ACFT THEN MADE A SHARP DESCENDING TURN & CRASHED IN IN THE OCEAN. PIECES OF WRECKAGE WERE RECOVERED, BUT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TO DETERMINE WHY THE PLANE HAD CRASHED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: L52 Oceano CA at 4:00 am
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 18 knots, gusting 31
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 am from SMX, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N66CF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX87LA058.