Cessna A185F accident near Tehachapi, California, January 3, 1995
On January 3, 1995 at about 6:52 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N94296, was destroyed in an accident near Tehachapi, 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
THE NONINSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT'S CONTINUED FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED WHILE MANEUVERING TO REVERSE DIRECTION. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 1995 · about 6:52 pm local time
- Place
- Tehachapi, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N94296 · no longer on the register · serial 18503303
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FAMILY MEMBERS SAID THAT, BEFORE FLIGHT, THE NONINSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT HAD OBTAINED WEATHER INFORMATION FROM A COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SERVICE (COMPUSERVE); HOWEVER, NO RECORDS WERE FOUND TO VERIFY THE COMPLETENESS OF THE WEATHER INFORMATION THAT HE HAD RECEIVED. CLOUDS AND RAIN WERE FORECAST ALONG THE ROUTE WITH MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION DUE TO CLOUDS, FOG, AND PRECIPITATION. ACCORDING TO MODE C RADAR DATA, THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO ABOUT 200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AS IT ENTERED TEHACHAPI PASS. TWO GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THEY SAW THE AIRPLANE ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE AND TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY THAT TRAVERSED THE PASS. THEY COULD BARELY SEE THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS. REPORTEDLY, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN A LEFT TURN, AND THEN THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE PITCHED UP AS THE WINGS CONTINUED INTO A STEEP BANK. THE AIRCRAFT THEN PITCHED NOSE DOWN AND CRASHED INTO THE GROUND.
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: 1,750 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 4:30 pm
- Destination: O56 Novato CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:50 pm from TSP, 2 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 N94296 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.