Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P accident near Livermore, California, March 22, 1982
On March 22, 1982 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P, registered N5553N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Livermore, California (Livermore Municipal airport). 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1982 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Livermore, California · Livermore Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P
- Registration
- N5553N · registry record · serial 978
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING ROLL THE AIRCRAFT SWERVED TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT COUNTERED WITH LEFT AILERON, RUDDER, AND BRAKE BUT THE RIGHT WING CAME UP, THE TURN TIGHTENED, AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED.
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: 990 hours in all; 149 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 915 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,078 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,425 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P & W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Monterey CA
- Destination: AZO5 Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 25, 4,005 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5553N 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.