Cessna 172M accident near Running Springs, California, July 12, 1994
On July 12, 1994 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N64193, was destroyed in an accident near Running Springs, California. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flying pilot's operation of the aircraft at an altitude that did not provide sufficient terrain clearance necessary to recover from an inadvertent, pilot-induced stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1994 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Running Springs, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N64193 · no longer on the register · serial 17265078
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOTS PLANNED TO CLIMB IN A SERIES OF 360-DEGREE TURNS AND THEN DEPART THE AREA THROUGH A MOUNTAIN PASS AREA. THE SURVIVING PILOT SAID AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A CABIN THAT WAS LOCATED IN THE AREA. THE PILOT SAID HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT BEING FORCED DOWN AS IF IT HAD BEEN 'STEPPED ON' JUST PRIOR TO THE CRASH. WITNESSES NEAR THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT TWICE REPORTED SEEING AN AIRCRAFT MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES. THE WITNESSES STATED THAT ON BOTH OCCASIONS THEY OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT PERFORMING LOW-LEVEL MANEUVERS DESCRIBED AS A SERIES OF CLIMBS, TURNS, AND DESCENTS WHICH AT TIMES WERE ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN PERFORMED WITHIN 50 FEET OF STEEP TERRAIN NEAR THE 4,540 FOOT LEVEL. AT TIMES THEY LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT AS IT DESCENDED BELOW HIGHER TERRAIN. ONE OF THE WITNESSES STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE AIRCRAFT WAS 'CHASING JACK RABBITS.'
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: 120 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 80 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,765 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 20, 1994; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: L12 Redlands CA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: SEZ Sedona AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from ONT, 24 miles away
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.
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.