Cessna 152 accident near Dunsmuir, California, March 30, 1993
On March 30, 1993 at about 4:10 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89174, was destroyed in an accident near Dunsmuir, California. 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
AN INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH RAIN AND ICING CONDITIONS. FACTORS IN THIS ACCIDENT INCLUDED ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS CONSISTING OF RAIN, ICING, AND DARKNESS, AND THE PILOT'S OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITIES TO DEAL WITH THE ENCOUNTERED WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1993 · about 4:10 am local time
- Place
- Dunsmuir, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89174 · no longer on the register · serial 15282660
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING, THE COMMERCIAL/INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, DEPARTED ON A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE FORECASTED WEATHER CONDITIONS INCLUDED SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 4,000 TO 6,000 FEET, BROKEN CLOUDS AT 8,000 FEET WITH A FREEZING LEVEL OF 7,000 FEET. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND UNTIL THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED 7 DAYS AFTER DEPARTURE. WITNESSES IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT REPORTED CONTINUOUS RAIN ON THE NIGHT OF THE ACCIDENT. THE LAST NTAP RADAR DATA OF THE AIRPLANE SHOWED A DESCENT FROM 8,000 FEET TO 7,400 FEET BEFORE CONTACT WAS LOST. A METEOROLOGICAL STUDY OF THE ACCIDENT AREA REVEALED AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN WITH A FREEZING LEVEL OF 6,300 FEET.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 534 hours in all; 24 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,663 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Palo Alto Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: S03 Ashland OR at 3:06 am
- Destination: PAO Palo Alto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:20 am from RDD, 30 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.