Cessna T240 accident near San Diego, California, July 13, 2025
On July 13, 2025 at about 11:29 pm local time, a 2014 Cessna T240, registered N636CS, was involved in an accident during enroute (cruise) near San Diego, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Impact with the ocean for reasons that could not be determined because the pilot and airplane were not located.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2025 · about 11:29 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T240, built 2014 · all T240s on the register
- Registration
- N636CS · registry record · serial T24002046
- Damage
- Damage not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A family friend reported the pilot and airplane missing. The friend stated that they drove the pilot to the departure airport, dropped him off and were meeting him at the intended destination airport. The friend became concerned when the pilot did not arrive and she began to track his location on via a commercial sourced ADS-B system. She also attempted to text him but noted that her messages were not being received by the pilot’s cell phone. Review of the recorded communication between the air traffic controller local controller at the destination airport and the accident pilot revealed that the controller had issued landing instructions for a straight-in approach to runway 28R, which the pilot acknowledged. The controller made repeated attempts to reestablish communication with the pilot; however, no further radio communication from the pilot was received. ADS-B data showed that the airplane’s flight track was consistent for an approach to landing on runway 28 at the destination airport, however, the airplane continued on a southwesterly heading for about 470 nautical miles until the ADS-B data was lost. An Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued about 16 minutes after ADS-B contact had been lost and a search for the pilot and airplane commenced. Neither the pilot or airplane were located. Land and sea-based searches were suspended 2 days after the airplane went missing.
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
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Missing aircraft during unknown
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 25, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: unkn
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,225 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2025
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-550-C (piston); 1,225 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RMN Ramona CA at 8:50 pm
- Destination: MYF San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,100 ft; clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KMYF
Weather report (METAR): KMYF 130853Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC011 19/15 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP149 T01890150 58005
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA212.