Cessna 172P accident near Descanso, California, June 30, 1988
On June 30, 1988 at about 2:42 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N51234, was destroyed in an accident near Descanso, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT'S POOR JUDGMENT AND INTENTIONAL DECISION TO LOW FLY THE AIRCRAFT BELOW THE MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 1988 · about 2:42 am local time
- Place
- Descanso, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N51234 · registry record · serial 17274285
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NUMEROUS WITNESSES OBSERVED THE LOW FLYING ACFT AT ALTITUDES FROM 50 TO 300 FT AGL. THE ACFT WAS DESCRIBED BY SOME WITNESSES AS 'TERRAIN FLYING' AS IT PROCEEDED AT LOW ALTITUDES OVER THE ROLLING HILLS & ROADWAYS. THE JOY RIDING FLIGHT ENDED WHEN, AT 100 FT AGL, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINES. THE ACFT ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT, CRASHED & BURNED ON INTERSTATE FREEWAY 8.
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: 164 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 104 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,104 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 19, 1988; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Funbirds Flying Club, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA at 1:05 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.