Cessna 152 accident near Avalon, California, April 6, 1994
On April 6, 1994 at about 1:46 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93508, was destroyed in an accident near Avalon, California (Catalina airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the pilot to apply carburetor heat as appropriate while conducting flight in conditions conducive for carburetor icing. A factor in the accident was the unsuitable steep mountainous terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1994 · about 1:46 am local time
- Place
- Avalon, California · Catalina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93508 · no longer on the register · serial 15285503
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After an over water flight to Catalina Island, the pilot reported having engine trouble and that he was attempting to return to the Catalina airport. The airport is located on a mountain top in an area of the island with steep mountainous terrain. A witness saw the aircraft and heard the engine repeatedly accelerate to full power, interrupted by sputtering and periods of silence. A second witness reported seeing the aircraft in a turn attempting to gain altitude as it approached the higher terrain. Ten minutes later, fire department units responding to reports of a brush fire found the burning aircraft wreckage. The weather at the time included a 20 degree spread between dew point and ambient temperature. Carburetor icing probability charts revealed the aircraft had flown in conditions conducive to moderate icing at cruise power and serious icing at glide power.
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: 109 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,596 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 10, 1994; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 1:46 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 3,240 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 14 statute miles
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from LGB, 33 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.
Other NTSB records under N93508 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.