Cessna 172H accident near Dana Point, California, August 6, 1989
On August 6, 1989 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N2667L, was destroyed in an accident near Dana Point, California. It was a business 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
PILOT-IN-COMMANDS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE WHILE IN MANEUVERING FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1989 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Dana Point, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N2667L · no longer on the register · serial 17255867
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE MAKING SLOW CIRCLES, COUNTER CLOCKWISE, WHEN THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED AND THE ENGINE SOUND INCREASED. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE THEN ROSE TO A NEAR VERTICAL CLIMB AND THE AIRPLANE 'SLOWLY LOOPED' OVER ONTO ITS BACK AND THEN DOVE NEAR VERTICALLY WHILE SLOWLY ROTATING 180 DEGREES AND STRIKING THE PACIFIC OCEAN NOSE FIRST. WITNESSES STATED THE ENGINE CONTINUED MAKING NOISE UNTIL THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE WATER. THE ACFT WAS AT APRX 500 FT AGL WHILE CIRCLING AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 800 FT AGL BEFORE STALLING.
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: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE El Cajon CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.