Cessna 152 accident near Palos Verdes, California, April 28, 1995
On April 28, 1995 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49058, was destroyed in an accident near Palos Verdes, 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
that the pilot initiated the flight into known adverse weather, and inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1995 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Palos Verdes, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49058 · no longer on the register · serial 15283409
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE DEPARTING ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE WEATHER BRIEFER TOLD THE PILOT THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO LOW CEILINGS AND FREEZING LEVEL ABOVE 4,000 FEET. THE PILOT TOLD THE BRIEFER THAT HE WOULD FLY LOW OVER THE OCEAN PARALLELING THE COAST LINE. THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A VFR FLIGHT PLAN. THE AIRPLANE WAS REPORTED MISSING 3 DAYS AFTER IT DEPARTED ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED THE FLIGHT INITIALLY CLIMBING TO 1,000 FEET AND THEN DESCEND TO 300 FEET. THE LAST RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRPLANE AT 600 FEET OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN WHEN WHEN IT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR. THE PILOT DID NOT COMMUNICATE WITH ANY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FACILITIES DURING THE FLIGHT. A WEATHER STUDY SHOWED THAT LOW CLOUDS AND LOW VISIBILITY WITH FOG EXISTED AT THE TIME THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT FOUND.
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: 98 hours in all; 26 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,012 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 1995; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2L (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Tradewinds Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: OCN Oceanside CA at 4:16 pm
- Destination: SBA Santa Barbara CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from LGB, 6 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.
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.