Cessna 172N accident near Altadena, California, October 17, 1986
On October 17, 1986 at about 2:38 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N1048F, was destroyed in an accident near Altadena, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- October 17, 1986 · about 2:38 am local time
- Place
- Altadena, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1048F · registry record · serial 17272938
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE RTRNG TO SANTA MONICA (SMO) FM A X-COUNTRY, THE PLTS DIVERTED TO VAN NUYS WHEN THE RWY AT SMO WAS CLOSED DUE TO A DISABLED ACFT. AFTER THE RWY WAS REOPENED, THEY FILED AN IFR FLT PLN TO CONT AT 5000' & TKOF AT NGT. DRG DEP, THE AR-3 CTLR PROVIDED RADAR VECTORS (FOR CLNC AT 3000'). AT 1926:39, AR-4 CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED/ACCEPTED AN AUTOMATED HANDOFF VIA AN ARTS-III COMPUTER KEYBOARD ENTRY. AR-3 PROVIDED ADNTL VECTORS TO THE FLT, THE LAST BEING A 080 DEG HDG (AT 1929:12), BUT DIDN'T TELL THE PLTS TO CHG TO AR-4'S FREQ. AT APRX 1933, THE AR-3 & AR-4 CTLRS WERE RELIEVED & BGN BRIEFING THEIR RELIEVING CTLRS. SOON THEREAFTER, THE FLT PASSED OVR THE ASR ANTENNA, THEN WAS DISPLAYED ON THE RADAR SCOPE IN A COAST MODE. IT REAPPEARED WITH A DATA TAG, THAT ERRONEOUSLY INDCD ANOTHER FACILITY HAD CTL OF THE FLT. THE RELIEVING CTLRS SAWTHE FULL DATA BLOCK ON THEIR SCOPES, BUT DISREGARDED IT, DUE TO THE ERRONEOUS CTL SYMBOL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT MTNS AT THE LAST ASSIGNED ALT OF 3000'. THE CFI HAD JUST MOVED FM FL TO CA & WAS ON HIS 2ND DAY OF EMPLOYMENT IN CA.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 543 hours in all; 264 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 497 as pilot in command; 241 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 18, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: American Flyers,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 2:23 am
- Destination: SMO Santa Monica CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.