Cessna 210L accident near Maricopa, California, April 16, 1988
On April 16, 1988 at about 8:52 am local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N29111, was destroyed in an accident near Maricopa, 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
AIRCRAFT INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1988 · about 8:52 am local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Maricopa, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N29111 · registry record · serial 21059804
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT'S DESTINATION WAS LOCATED AT AN ELEVATION OF 378 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL AND ABOUT 77 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF THE ACCIDENT LOCATION. THE CEILING AT HIS DESTINATION WAS REPORTED AT 5,500 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. HE DID NOT OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING PRIOR TO TAKEOFF FOR THE NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, TO HIS DESTINATION. ENROUTE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES WHILE IN A LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE, ON A FOG SHROUDED MOUNTAIN RIDGE, AT AN ELEVATION OF 5,500 FEET MSL.
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: 290 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 224 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 348 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 1987; 198 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: James C Francis Contractor INC
The flight
- Departed from: LOC Lompoc CA
- Destination: L45 Bakersfield CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from BFL, 34 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N29111 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 210 Centurion 1,525 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Bakersfield Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX88FA162.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.