Cessna 172N accident near Vidal Junction, California, June 19, 1995
On June 19, 1995 at about 2:20 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739KJ, was destroyed in an accident near Vidal Junction, California. 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 pilot's failure to maintain an altitude adequate to avoid the mountainous/hilly terrain. Contributing to the accident was the glare from the setting sun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1995 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Vidal Junction, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739KJ · no longer on the register · serial 17270601
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD RENTED THE AIRPLANE FOR AN EARLY EVENING FLIGHT IN THE AREA OF THE COLORADO RIVER AND MOHAVE DESERT. THE WRECKAGE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND IN THE MOHAVE DESERT, WHERE IT HAD IMPACTED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT THE 2,100-FOOT LEVEL OF A 2,695-FOOT MOUNTAIN SURROUNDED BY RELATIVELY LEVEL TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE WAS IN LEVEL CRUISE FLIGHT ON A MAGNETIC HEADING OF 280 DEGREES DURING IMPACT. THE SETTING SUN WAS AT 6.0 DEGREES ABOVE THE HORIZON ON A MAGNETIC BEARING OF 280.9 DEGREES.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,523 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,028 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 1995; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Century Air Term. INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HII Lake Havasu AZ at 1:15 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.