- Date
- June 26, 1983, 10:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Cajon Pass, CA
- Injuries
- 4 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1239DCessna C170A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830626026659A
- Case key
- 23766
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 plt was flying about 40 ft AGL in marginal weather when the acft contacted a power line and crashed. No flt plan wasfiled and there is no record of a weather briefing for the plt. The plt stated he was following a highway up a Pass whenhe encountered marginal visibility. He said he could not turn around due to lack of knowledge of the terrain. A witness said he saw the acft about 4O ft AGL and saw it collided with power lines and come down on the side of the freeway. The plt said he should have made a 180 degree turn before he got into the reduced visibility. He said that when he saw the power lines he added full power but the stall warning sounded so he put the nosedown and tried to go between the power lines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1239D
- Reported as
- Cessna C170A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19793
- Airframe hours
- 2,474
- Engine
- Continental 5533-D-O-2, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James N. Peterson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1983 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- L67 · Rialto, CA
- Destination
- 0L8 · Hanford, 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 394 total · 96 in this make and model · 349 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBD, 30 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.