# NTSB GAA23WA071: Cessna 172H, N8203L, San Francisco, Guatemala, February 13, 2023

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 5 · Foreign
- Date: February 13, 2023, 15:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place: San Francisco, Guatemala
- Coordinates: 16.735389, -89.906333
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=16.7354&lon=-89.9063&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Initial climb: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 3 fatal
- Status: Led by another country's authority
- Investigation class: Class 5 - No publish
- NTSB office: General Aviation Accidents
- Lead agency: Other
- NTSB case key (mKey): 106735
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=GAA23WA071
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/106735/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA23WA071

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Initial climb: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 9 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N8203L](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8203L-2025-09-15), registration cancelled 2025-09-15, S/N 17256403, built 1967 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172H
- Registry model: [Cessna 172H](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172h) (registry code 2072424) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 17256403
- Year built: 1967
- Damage: Destroyed
- Fire: On-Ground
- Flight: Non-U.S., non-commercial
- Operator: James Dehart
- Registered owner: James Dehart

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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