Cessna 185E accident near Lone Pine, California, July 16, 1988
On July 16, 1988 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N23FB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lone Pine, California (Monache Meadows airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- July 16, 1988 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lone Pine, California · Monache Meadows · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N23FB · registry record · serial 1851186
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPTED THAT THE ENGINE CYLINDER TEMPERATURE WAS VERY HIGH AS HE CROSSED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. HE ELECTED TO MAKE A DOWNWIND PRECAUTIONARY LANDING TO A SHORT AIRSTRIP WITH A HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN BEYOND THE NORMAL TOUCHDOWN ZONE, OVERRAN THE RUNWAY, AND NOSED OVER ON ITS BACK.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 1988; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Corona CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: Lone Pine CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 1,600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 108°F (42°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from NID, 27 miles away
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.