Cessna 180 accident near Davenport, California, May 31, 1993
On May 31, 1993 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2790X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Davenport, California (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL TO AVOID THE HIGH VEGETATION. FACTORS RELATING TO THIS ACCIDENT WERE THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO OBTAIN THE CLIMB AIRSPEED AND THE INADVERTENT STALL/MUSH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1993 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 1993
- Place
- Davenport, California · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2790X · no longer on the register · serial 18051590
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL FROM A PRIVATELY OWNED DIRT AIRSTRIP THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH SOME ICE PLANTS. AFTER THE COLLISION THE PILOT INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE CLIMB TO ARREST THE BEGINNING GROUND LOOP. THE AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE, BUT STALLED. THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER AFTER IT SETTLED INTO THE ICE PLANTS.
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: 984 hours in all; 408 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 844 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 1993; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: HAF Half Moon Bay CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 1,500 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N2790X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2790X: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,604 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470 12,780 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Half Moon Bay Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,897 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2790X 3 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX93LA233.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.