- Date
- December 27, 1984, 19:15 local (Dec 28, 1984, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Upland, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N735MJCessna 182Q
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841227070539A
- Case key
- 24450
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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 instrument rated plt & 3 pax departed palo alto for an intended 3-hour long day VFR flt to santa ana, CA. The final destination was to be mx. The plt had not flown at night or on instruments in over 6 yrs. He elected to delay departing pao until 1611 PST due to forecast marginal weather. The plt did not communicate with ATC or fss while en route & upon arrival in southern CA, at night, marginal VFR wx was encountered. A localized area of moderate to heavy rain existed over Upland, aprx 28 miles north of sna. The acft was observed to circle cable arpt. When south of the arpt and flying on a northerly heading at cruise speed, it descended and crashed into an unpopulates and dark area of level terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N735MJ
- Reported as
- Cessna 182Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18265529
- Airframe hours
- 3,200
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U(2), 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- West Valley Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Robert R. Claypool
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 5, 1984 · 74 hours before
- Departed
- PAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Destination
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,037 total · 612 in this make and model · 942 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 80° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ONT, 5 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.