Cessna 152 accident near Rancho Cucamong, California, March 22, 1999
On March 22, 1999 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N67821, was destroyed in an accident near Rancho Cucamong, 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 altitude/clearance from mountainous terrain for unknown reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1999 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rancho Cucamong, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N67821 · no longer on the register · serial 15282038
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 21-year-old private pilot was rated for airplane single engine land, sea, and instrument. He was an engineering student in his senior year, and his goal was to become an aerospace engineer. The pilot had an eye condition with 2 prior extraocular muscle surgeries. He rented an airplane for a local area flight. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane descending about 45 degrees at high engine power into mountainous terrain. A sheriff's helicopter pilot reported, about 15 minutes after the accident that the weather at the accident site was clear with 10 miles visibility and the wind was from the southwest (up canyon). The airplane collided with a 60-degree canyon wall near a location called 'Party Rock Point.' The tachometer needle was imprinted onto the instrument face at 2,650 rpm; the redline is 2,550 rpm. The wing structure was accordioned from leading edge to trailing edge, as was the fuselage. No mechanical discrepancies were found with the airplane.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,090 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 1999; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCB Upland CA at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from ONT
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.