Cessna R172K accident near Hawthorne, California, May 21, 2004
On May 21, 2004 at about 3:45 am local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N758ND, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hawthorne, California (Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne). It was a personal 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 pilot's misjudged flare and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in a stall and hard landing. Factors in the accident were the night conditions and the pilot's lack of familiarity in the make and model of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2004 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Hawthorne, California · Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N758ND · registry record · serial R1723221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed hard during night conditions. The pilot said that he flared the airplane higher than normal. The airplane stalled about 10 feet above ground level, and the nose of the airplane to rapidly dropped, resulting in the nose wheel impacting the runway surface hard. The pilot had accumulated a total of 3.5 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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
- Flight time: 134 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 20, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,215.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 27, 2004; 103.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-KB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHHR Hawthorne CA
- Destination: Hawthorne CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,956 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from HHR
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.
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.