Cessna 172N accident near Anaheim, California, April 5, 2003
On April 5, 2003 at about 9:27 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6272D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anaheim, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of company maintenance personnel to correctly install and safety wire the oil drain plug, which led to a loss of engine oil and a catastrophic internal failure of the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 2003 · about 9:27 pm local time
- Place
- Anaheim, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6272D · no longer on the register · serial 17272683
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, the engine lost power and the airplane struck a car and then the right wing hit a fence during a forced landing on a freeway. The pilot had rented the airplane for a personal flight. There were no mechanical malfunctions noted on the first leg of the flight. On the second leg of the flight, the pilot noted a drop in engine power followed by a violent shaking of the airframe. The pilot set up for an emergency landing on the freeway. During landing, the airplane impacted a car, which the pilot had not noticed, and a fence. Post accident examination disclosed that oil covered the belly of the airplane and coated the inside of the engine compartment and nose wheel assembly. The engine sustained a catastrophic internal failure. The oil drain plug was missing. The investigation revealed that the engine had been overhauled 5 hours prior to the accident and then reinstalled by the operator's maintenance personnel. The oil drain plug is normally secured with safety wire. No safety wire remnants were found on the engine.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 450 hours in all; 222 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 14, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,746.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 21, 2003; 6.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cableair, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SMO Santa Monica CA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: POC La Verne CA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from FUL, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.