Cessna 172P accident near Union City, California, October 19, 1988
On October 19, 1988 at about 1:14 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52222, was destroyed in an accident near Union City, 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
LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT WHEN HE INADVERTENTLY ENTERED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE, DARK NIGHT LIGHT CONDITIONS AND FOGGY WEATHER CONDITIONS, INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO IMC UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES, FAILURE TO PERFORM A WEATHER EVAULATION AFTER RECEIVING PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND LACK OF TOTAL INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 1988 · about 1:14 pm local time
- Place
- Union City, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52222 · no longer on the register · serial 17274446
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER RECEIVING A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING THAT REPORTED THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE AS 55 DEGREES, DEW POINT AS 54 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND A CALM WIND CONDITION, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER TOOKOFF FOR A LOCAL NIGHT FLIGHT NEAR THE BAY. THE SUN RISE AND MOON SET TABLES DEPICT THE SUN AT A -7.1 DEGREE ALTITUDE AND THE MOON AT A -74.5 DEGREE ALTITUDE BELOW THE HORIZON AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. GROUND WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT PASS OVER A WELL LIT STRUCTURE THEN EXECUTE A DIVING RIGHT TURN INTO THE GROUND. FOG WAS REPORTED IN THE VICINITY BY THE WITNESSES. IMPACT FORCES AND POST-CRASH FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRCRAFT.
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: 155 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,004 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 2, 1988; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HWD Hayward CA at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:45 pm from OAK, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.