Cessna 172P accident near Sun City, California, January 20, 1993
On January 20, 1993 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53908, was destroyed in an accident near Sun City, California. It was a ferry 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 PILOT'S DECISION TO INITIATE VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING, THE ADVERSE WEATHER, AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 1993 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sun City, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53908 · no longer on the register · serial 17274825
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ONE OF A GROUP FERRYING 6 AIRPLANES. A MISSION COMMANDER WAS NOT DESIGNATED; EACH PILOT WOULD 'DO THEIR OWN THING.' ANOTHER PILOT SAID THE CESSNA 172 PILOTS LAUNCHED WITHOUT A WEATHER BRIEFING. THE ACCIDENT PILOT DEPARTED AT ABOUT 0920. APPROXIMATELY 10 MIN LATER, A WITNESS LOCATED ABOUT 300 YDS FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE HEARD THE AIRPLANE CIRCLING A MOUNTAIN '...WAY TOO LOW.' BEFORE IMPACT. THE WITNESS STATED HE COULDN'T SEE BECAUSE IT WAS TOO FOGGY. WITNESSES REPORTED THE VISIBILITY TO BE ABOUT 50 FT IN DENSE FOG. THE OTHER PILOTS SAID THEY ENCOUNTERED LOW CLOUDS AND FOG WHICH CONTINUED UNTIL ABOUT 3 MI NORTH OF THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. TWO OF THE PILOTS SAID THEY TRIED TO DESCEND BELOW THE CLOUDS TO GET INTO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT BUT TURNED BACK.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 317 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 162 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,430 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 11, 1993; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hiser Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: RAL Riverside CA at 5:15 pm
- Destination: F70 Rancho CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.