Cessna 500 accident near San Luis Obispo, California, September 24, 1990
On September 24, 1990 at about 2:02 pm local time, a Cessna 500, registered N79DD, was destroyed in an accident near San Luis Obispo, California (San Luis Obispo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR (INSTRUMENT) PROCEDURE, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) FOR THE APPROACH. THE ADVERSE WEATHER WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 1990 · about 2:02 pm local time
- Place
- San Luis Obispo, California · San Luis Obispo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 500 · all 500s on the register
- Registration
- N79DD · no longer on the register · serial 500-0254
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS CLRD FOR A LOC RWY 11 APCH. ABOUT 3 MIN LATER, THE 2ND-IN-COMMAND (SIC) RPRTD ' . . . WE DON'T GET THE LOCALIZER CAN YOU SEE IF WE'RE ON COURSE.' THE LAX ARTCC R-15 CTLR CONFIRMED THE FLT WAS RGT OF COURSE & BELOW THE RQRD ALT. THE ACFT'S MODE C INDCD AN ALT OF 1400 FT; THE CTLR ADZD THE FLT CREW TO MAINT AT LEAST 2300 FT UNTIL PAST THE FINAL APPROACH FIX (FAF). THE CREW THEN REPLIED THAT THEY WERE IN VMC. RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED & A FREQ CHANGE TO TOWER WAS APPROVED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ACFT HIT A EUCALYPTUS TREE AT ABT 90 FT AGL, 2.05 MI FM THE APCH END OF THE RWY & ABT 195 FT RGT OF THE LOC. ELEV OF THE CRASH SITE WAS 101 FT; MIN DSCNT ALT (MDA) FOR THE APCH WAS 640 FT. THE 0645 PDT WX WAS, IN PART: INDEFINITE CEILING, 100 FT OBSCURED, VIS 1/8 MI WITH FOG, WIND FROM 220 DEG AT 4 KTS. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,021 hours in all; 95 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,197 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 19, 1990; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-15D-1A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 1:20 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 11, 4,799 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.