- Date
- January 21, 1984, 00:07 local (08:07 UTC)
- Place
- Soledad, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N96956Cessna 182Q
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840121034489A
- Case key
- 23933
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft crashed into the side of a hill at about 1500 ft MSL in a 50 degree nose down attitude. The plt had encounteredweather on a night VFR flt. He was attempted to return the acft for a scheduled club flt the next morning. He had previously planned an early am departure but was doubtful of the morning weather and he made the night departure even though VFR flt was not recommended. His route of flt was basically north and the crash occurred on a southerly heading. Witnesses in the area heard an acft around midnight. It was rainy and foggy at the time. The accident site was about 40 miles se of departure point. Destination was about 60 miles north.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96956
- Reported as
- Cessna 182Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18266912
- Airframe hours
- 15,133
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Phillip J. Mcmansmy, doing business as California Airways
- Registered owner
- Robert Taylor
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 6, 1983 · 904 hours before
- Departed
- MRY · Monterey, CA
- Destination
- HWD · Hayward, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,958 total · 178 in this make and model · 1,618 as pilot in command · 88 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 13 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SNS, 22 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.