Rockwell 112B accident near La Grange, California, September 16, 1989
On September 16, 1989 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Rockwell 112B, registered N1232J, was destroyed in an accident near La Grange, California (Mariposa 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
CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEORLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. RELATED FACTORS WERE: FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER BY THE PILOT, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHT CAPABILITIES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1989 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- La Grange, California · Mariposa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 112B
- Registration
- N1232J · no longer on the register · serial 502
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE DEPG ON THE ACDNT FLT, THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING & WAS ADVISED OF RAIN SHOWERS ALONG HIS ENTIRE ROUTE. ALSO, HE WAS WARNED OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT ALL OF CALIFORNIA. HE FILED A VFR FLT PLAN & TOOK OFF. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, HE ACTIVATED THE FLT PLAN, THEN THERE WAS NO FURTHER COMMUNICATION WITH THE ACFT. ABOUT 1 HR LATER, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDE. AS THE ACFT APCHD A SIGN, IT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A CLIMB & DISAPPEAR IN A LOW CLOUD LAYER. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, IT WAS OBSERVED BY ANOTHER WITNESS IN A DIVE AS IT DESCENDED BELOW THE CLOUDS. MOMENTS LATER, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A LAKE. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED THE WATER WITH VERY HIGH VELOCITY. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT HAD ONLY ABOUT 3 HRS OF INSTRUMENT FLT TIME. WITNESSES RPRTD THUNDERSTORMS & LIGHTNING IN THE AREA; THEY ESTIMATED THERE WAS ABOUT A 500 FT OBSCURATION WITH 1/2 MI VISIBILITY, BLOWING RAIN & WIND FROM 135 DEG AT 15 GUSTING 20 KTS.
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: 277 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 195 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LTA S Lake Tahoe CA at 8:29 pm
- Destination: BUR Burbank CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
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.