- Date
- February 12, 1995, 09:54 local (17:54 UTC)
- Place
- San Francisco, CA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N4875NCessna 182Q
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950212002089A
- Case key
- 29033
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
an inflight collision with water for undetermined reasons.
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 aircraft collided with the ocean about 5 miles west of San Francisco, California, under undetermined circumstances. The pilot rented the aircraft from a local FBO and took two passengers on a local area flight and never returned. The right main landing gear wheel assembly was subsequently recovered by national park service personnel at a beach northwest of the golden gate bridge. The remains of one of the three occupants was located and pulled from the water several days later. There has been no further recovery of the airplane's wreckage at the time of the filing of this report. There were no witnesses to the accident.
Factual narrative
On February 12, 1995, about 0954 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182Q, N4875N, collided with the ocean in the Gulf of the Farallones, about 5 miles west of San Francisco, California. The airplane was operated by San Carlos Flight Center, and rented by the pilot for a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane is missing and presumed to be destroyed by impact with the water and salt water immersion. The certificated private pilot and one passenger are missing and presumed to have received fatal injuries. One passenger was fatally injured and found floating in the water several days after the accident. The flight originated at 0932 hours from San Carlos, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The U.S. Park Police, San Francisco Field Office, Presido Public Safety, recovered the right main landing gear wheel assembly from the missing airplane. The wheel assembly was found by a citizen on the Fort Cronkite Beach, about 5 miles northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The pilot's automobile driver's license and a credit card were found on a Marin County Beach, Marin, California. The items were taken to the Wells Fargo Bank, Mill Valley, California, by two unidentified women. The Marin County Sheriff is investigating, and as of the date of this report, no further information concerning the identity of the women or the exact name of the beach has been obtained.
There has been no further recovery of the airplane's wreckage at the time of the filing of this report. The circumstances surrounding the airplane's collision with the water are undetermined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4875N
- Reported as
- Cessna 182Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 67428
- Airframe hours
- 2,066
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- San Carlos Flight Center
- Registered owner
- Dallas, Diane
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 12, 1995 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- SQL · San Carlos, 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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 210 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SQL, 23 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.