Cessna 172N accident near Pacoima, California, December 21, 2002
On December 21, 2002 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pacoima, California (Whiteman Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's excessive use of the elevator control that resulted in an inadvertent lift-off and his failure to maintain/attain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall and hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2002 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pacoima, California · Whiteman Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733AM · registry record · serial 17268145
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a hard landing. The student pilot was on his first solo flight and attempting to perform practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. On final approach the airplane was higher than normal, but the student pilot touched down without mishap. While on the landing roll, the airplane became airborne, climbing to about 15 to 20 feet above ground level. The airplane stalled and returned back down to the runway surface, hitting hard, with the nose wheel touching down first. The student pilot stated that he thought that he had applied too much backpressure on the yoke. The operator reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 14 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,367 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 10, 2002; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming O-320-H2A0 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WHP Pacoima CA at 9:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,120 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,300 ft; ovct at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from BUR, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N733AM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.