Cessna 172B accident near Crows Landing, California, May 17, 1982
On May 17, 1982 at about 8:38 pm local time, a Cessna 172B, registered N7444X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crows Landing, California (Crows Landing Nas airport). 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 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
- May 17, 1982 · about 8:38 pm local time
- Place
- Crows Landing, California · Crows Landing Nas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172B · all 172Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7444X · no longer on the register · serial 17247944
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER CLIMBING TO 3000 FT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER, THE PILOT PUMPED THE THROTTLE AND THE ENGINE POWER BECAME ERRATIC. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT A NAVAL AIR STATION BUT WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A PLOWED FIELD WHEN THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER. THE AIRCRAFT CROSSED AN IRRIGATION DITCH AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINEREVEALED NO PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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: 229 in this make and model; 400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,790 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 029 Patterson CA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Visalia CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from SCK, 30 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.
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.