Cessna 152 accident near Port San Luis, California, May 6, 1989
On May 6, 1989 at about 3:15 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6301M, was destroyed in an accident near Port San Luis, California (San Luis Obispo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT FAILED TO EXECUTE A 180 DEGREE TURN AND INADVERTENTLY ENTERED INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 1989 · about 3:15 am local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Port San Luis, California · San Luis Obispo · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6301M · no longer on the register · serial 15284662
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED SAN LUIS OBISPO AIRPORT ON A PLANNED FLIGHT TO SANTA BARBARA. THE WX WAS VFR AT SBP BUT THERE WAS FOGAROUND THE COASTAL AREA. ABT 9 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTING SBP GROUND WITNESSES HEARD THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE AND THE ENGINE SOUND ABRUPTLY STOPPED. THE PORT SAN LUIS HARBOR PATROL OFFICER THEN HEARD AN ELT TRANSMITTER SIGNAL AND INITIATED A SEARCH. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND ABOUT 4 HOURS AFTER THE SEARCH WAS INITIATED. GROUND SCARS AND THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE UPWARD SLOPING TERRAIN IN A WINGS & NOSE LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE EXAMINATION FURTHER DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY AIRPLANE COMPONENT MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES.
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: 87 hours in all; 87 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,776 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 3, 1988; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cal-Coast Flyers, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SBP San Luis Obispo CA at 3:06 am
- Destination: SBA Santa Barbara CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N6301M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6301M: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- San Luis Obispo County Regional · nearest airport
- Santa Barbara Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,279 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N6301M 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX89FA181.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.