- Date
- June 4, 1983, 21:40 local (Jun 5, 1983, 04:40 UTC)
- Place
- San Clemente, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4789RCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830604044929A
- Case key
- 23559
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 on San Clemente island during a fish spotting flt on a dark night. These flts are usually flown at an alt of 1000-2000 ft AGL. A navy witness on the accident island said the ceiling was zero and the visibility about 200 yards at the accident site about 40 minutes before the estimated time of the crash. The pilot was seriously injured and the acft destroyed in the accident. The acft was not found until 1415 hours on June 5. The pilot was hospitalized until June 11 and does not remember the accident. The elevation of the accident site is 1060 ft MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4789R
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0032
- Airframe hours
- 1,513
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-FIA6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Frank M. Iacono
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1983 · 109 hours before
- Departed
- TOA · Torrance, 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,388 total · 1,056 in this make and model · 4,313 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 77 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NUC, 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.