Taylorcraft DCO-65 accident near Santa Cruz, California, August 15, 1982
On August 15, 1982 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Taylorcraft DCO-65, registered N47325, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Cruz, California (Skypark 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
- August 15, 1982 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Cruz, California · Skypark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft DCO-65 · all DCO-65s on the register
- Registration
- N47325 · no longer on the register · serial L5164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PILOT ENTERED TRAFFIC TO LAND ON RUNWAY 31 WITH A WIND FROM 130 DEG AT 5 KTS. THE FIRST APPROACH TO LAND WAS HIGH, SO A GO-AROUND WAS MADE. ON THE SECOND APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOW AND FAST. REPORTEDLY, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO VEER TO THE LEFT AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND THE PILOT INITIATED A SECOND GO-AROUND. THE PILOT THEN ABORTED THE GO-AROUND, BUT WAS TOO LATE TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH A PARKED CESSNA 172.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,450 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 8:45 am
- Destination: Los Banos CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,620 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.