Cessna P210N accident near Corona, California, March 31, 1997
On March 31, 1997 at about 8:00 am local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N3894P, was destroyed in an accident near Corona, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance during a nighttime flight at low altitude through a mountainous area. Factors in the accident were the conditions of low clouds and dark light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 1997 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- Corona, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N3894P · no longer on the register · serial P21000070
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was operating under visual flight rules when the airplane collided with mountainous terrain during dark night conditions. The accident site is in a pass through which a major interstate highway traverses. The highway was on the left, or pilot's side of the airplane, and the high intervening terrain was on the right side of the airplane. The airplane struck the sloping terrain with its right wing and right side of the fuselage first. Weather observation stations surrounding the accident site were reporting cloud layers at and above the accident site elevation. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted during the wreckage examination.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,476 hours in all; 185 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,593 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 1997; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-AF (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:46 pm from CNO, 4 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.