Cessna 172N accident near Fremont, California, November 17, 1988
On November 17, 1988 at about 8:58 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6256F, was destroyed in an accident near Fremont, 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
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
- November 17, 1988 · about 8:58 am local time
- Place
- Fremont, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6256F · no longer on the register · serial 17273174
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NEWLY CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PLT REPORTEDLY WAS EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED ABOUT HIS EMPLOYMENT & PERSONAL LIFE SITUATION. HE LOVED FLYING & FLEW TO RELEASE ANXIETY. NEAR MIDNIGHT THE PLT DEPARTED FOR A SHORT X-C FLIGHT DURING WHICH HE BECAME DISORIENTED. THE PLT REQUESTED & RECEIVED RADAR VECTORS BACK TO HIS DEPARTURE AIRPORT. CONTROLLERS SAID THAT THE PILOT SOUNDED IRRATIONAL AND THEY OBSERVED THE ACFT FAIL TO HOLD HEADING & ALTITUDE. THE ACFT ENTERED A RAPID DESCENT AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND, COMING TO REST IN A NEAR VERTICAL NOSEDOWN PITCH ATTITUDE. ON THE PILOT'S APPLICATION FOR A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE HE HAD DENIED ANY RECORD OF TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS. HOWEVER, AT THE TIME OF HIS APLICATION HE WAS ON PROBATION & HAD A HISTORY OF CONVICTIONS FOR DRUNK DRIVING. THE TOX REPORT INDICATED THAT THE PILOT'S VITREOUS FLUID ETHANOL LEVEL WAS 0.23 PERCENT.
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: 130 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 78 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,127 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Squadron Two Flying Club, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SJC San Jose CA at 7:47 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 am from SJC, 12 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.