Cessna 182P accident near Napa, California, January 7, 1990
On January 7, 1990 at about 11:17 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1283S, was destroyed in an accident near Napa, California (Napa CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY EXECUTE THE PUBLISHED APPROACH AND MISSED APPROACH WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH MOUNTAINIOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 1990 · about 11:17 pm local time
- Place
- Napa, California · Napa CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1283S · no longer on the register · serial 18264851
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHILE EXECUTING AN INSTRUMENT MISSED APPROACH. THE RECORDED RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 4 MILES PAST THE MISSED APPROACH POINT WHEN THE TURN WAS INITIATED. THE VOR RWY 6 APPROACH HAS A 620 FT MDA AND THE MISSED APPROACH POINT IS DEFINED AS 3.8 DME ON THE SCAGGS ISLAND VOR 050 RADIAL. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED THE ACFT CROSSED OVER THE AIRPORT DESCENDING THROUGH 1,800 FT MSL. THE LOWEST ALT ACHIEVED BY THE ACFT WAS 900 FT MSL, WHICH OCCURRED JUST BEFORE THE ACFT INITIATED THE MISSED APPROACH TURN. THE DME UNIT IN THE AIRCRAFT CAN FUNCTION IN BOTH AN INTERNAL FREQ MODE AND A REMOTE MODE. IN THE REMOTE MODE THE DME PROVIDES INFO FROM THE NAV RADIOS. IN THE INTERNAL MODE, THE UNIT GIVES INFO BASED ON THE FREQ SET IN THE UNITS INTERNAL MEMORY. EXAM OF THE DME REVEALED THAT THE UNIT WAS IN THE INTERNAL MODE AND SELECTED TO THE CONCORD VOR, NOT THE SCAGGS ISLAND VOR.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,091 hours in all; 683 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 855 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,913 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 1989; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA at 10:42 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 6, 5,007 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:25 pm from APC, 3 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.