Britten-Norman BN2A-26 accident near Desert Center, California, October 31, 1987
On October 31, 1987 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Britten-Norman BN2A-26, registered N25MR, was destroyed in an accident near Desert Center, California. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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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
- October 31, 1987 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Desert Center, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Britten-Norman BN2A-26 · all BN2A-26s on the register
- Registration
- N25MR · registry record · serial 881
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS HIRED TO FERRY AN ISLANDER FROM EL PASO, TX TO SANTA PAULA, CA. HE REPRESENTED HIMSELF TO THE FERRY COMPANY AS BEING AN EXPERIENCED ISLANDER PLT. NO PREVIOUS ISLANDER FLT TIME WAS FOUND IN THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK. IT WAS THE PLT'S 40TH BIRTHDAY & HE WAS ANXIOUS TO COMPLETE THE FLT. HE NEITHER FILED FLT PLANS NOR HAD CURRENT CHARTS. APPROACHING THE CHIRIACO SUMMIT AREA ALONG I-10 THE TERRAIN ROSE AND A GROUND-BASED WITNESS REPORTED CLDS WERE LOW. THE PLT CONTINUED THE WESTBND FLT. EVIDENCE INDICATED AN OVERSTRESSED ACFT AND AN IN-FLT BREAKUP.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,119 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1987; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,200 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4C5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southern Cross Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: El Paso TX
- Destination: Santa Paula CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 LAX88FA065.