Cessna 180K accident near Lakeport, California, November 23, 1986
On November 23, 1986, a Cessna 180K, registered N66039, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeport, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- November 23, 1986
- Place
- Lakeport, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N66039 · no longer on the register · serial 180-52910
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & HIS DAUGHTER WERE BELIEVED TO HAVE DEPD HIS PVT AIRSTRIP ON 11/22/86 OR 11/23/86. THEY WERE RPRTD MISSING ON 11/24/86 & A SEARCH WAS BEGUN, BUT THE ACFT WAS NOT FND UNTIL 8/19/88, WHEN THE WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED BY HUNTERS. THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MI NORTH OF THE PLT'S AIRSTRIP. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ACFT WAS TRAVELING ON A NORTH- WESTERLY HEADING WHEN IT STRUCK A TREE NEAR THE TOP OF A RIDGE. THE ACFT THEN CRASHED TO THE GROUND & CAME TO REST AGAINST A TREE ON THE RIDGE. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT & FIRE. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND DURING AN EXAM OF THE BADLY BURNED WRECKAGE. THE ACDNT OCCURRED ON HILLY/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 1800'. AT THE APRX DATE OF THE ACDNT, THE WX WAS GENERALLY VFR. ABOUT 9 MI WEST AT UKIAH, CA, THERE WAS EARLY MORNING FOG & CEILINGS OF 2000' TO 3000' ON 11/22/86, WHICH CHANGED TO SCATTERED CLOUDS IN THE AFTERNOON. ON 11/23/86, NO CLD LAYERS WERE RPRTD BEL0W 20,000'. THE PLT WAS RPRTD TO BE DESPONDENT OVR SEPN FM HIS WIFE, 2 WKS BFR THE ACDNT.
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: 900 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 450 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Hopland CA at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:53 pm from UKI, 9 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 N66039 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.