33.8944° N, 118.3075° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Gardena, CA, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
March 1, 1981 · 02:05 local
Place
Gardena, CA
Phase of flight
Other Ground Ops
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N4A
Reported as
Goodyr GZ20
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Airship went to vertical position then descended rapidly, hitting the ground while tied to mooring mast in storm.
As the FAA filed it
AIRSHIP WENT TO VERTICAL POSITION THEN DESCENDED RAPIDLY, HITTING THE GROUND WHILE TIED TO MOORING MAST IN STORM.