Cessna 172N accident near Cuyama, California, June 22, 1997
On June 22, 1997 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6141D, was destroyed in an accident near Cuyama, 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
undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1997 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Cuyama, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6141D · no longer on the register · serial 17272613
- 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 a local area sightseeing flight over nearby mountainous terrain, and he departed with full fuel tanks at 1805. The operator and family members believed that the pilot intended to return by 1930. No communications with or witness sightings of the airplane were reported following departure. The pilot initially headed in a northwesterly direction toward the Santa Ynez area. About 1 2/3 months later, the wreckage was discovered about 21 miles north of Santa Barbara. A postimpact ground fire destroyed most of the wreckage, and insufficient remains existed for performance of an autopsy or toxicology tests. An examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failures. Based upon ground scar evidence and the partial reconstruction of the wreckage, the airplane collided with the mountainside while descending (or maneuvering) nearly perpendicular to the face of the 40 degree upsloping mountainside at 5,400 feet msl. No unusual weather phenomena were observed or reported in the area of the accident site.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 7 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 460 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,226 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1997; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Fountaine Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SBA Santa Barbara CA at 1:05 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from SBA, 21 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.