The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB LAX97WA194 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 180 accident near Rancho Santa Yn, Mx, May 19, 1997

On May 19, 1997 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9279C, was destroyed in an accident near Rancho Santa Yn. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 19, 1997 · about 1:15 pm local time
Place
Rancho Santa Yn, Mexico
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
Registration
N9279C · no longer on the register
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Not recorded

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: not reported
  • Sky: not recorded; not recorded
  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.