Cessna 414A accident near Agua Caliente, California, June 29, 1988
On June 29, 1988 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna 414A, registered N27332, was substantially damaged in an accident near Agua Caliente, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- June 29, 1988 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Agua Caliente, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414A · all 414As on the register
- Registration
- N27332 · no longer on the register · serial 414A0452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE RIGHT ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. THE PILOT FEATHERED THE PROPELLER AND TURNED TO LAND AT THE AIRPORT. EN ROUTE, THE LEFT ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. UNABLE TO LAND AT THE AIRPORT, A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE ON A ROAD, WHERE, DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK AN ABANDONED CAR AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE FUEL LINES TO BOTH ENGINES WERE PARTIALLY BLOCKED WITH AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT IN THE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCD THE LEFT ENGINE HAD LOST POWER AT LEAST 4-5 TIMES. AFTER EACH OCCURRANCE THE ENGINE HAD BEEN INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC. THE PROBLEMS THAT WERE FOUND RANGED FROM A CLOGGED OIL SEPARATOR TO LOW FUEL PRESSURE THAT WAS CORRECTED BY REPLACEMENT OF VARIOUS HOSES.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,345 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,350 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 22, 1988; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,350 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L54 Agua Caliente CA at 3:20 pm
- Destination: CXL Calexico CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.