Wing D-1 accident near Catalina Island, California, June 11, 1982
On June 11, 1982 at about 7:00 am local time, a Wing D-1, registered N8601M, was destroyed in an accident near Catalina Island, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- June 11, 1982 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Catalina Island, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Wing D-1 · all D-1s on the register
- Registration
- N8601M · no longer on the register · serial 007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT DEPARTED TORRANCE AT 1259 PDT & VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED AT THE TIME. WHEN THE FLT DID NOT RETURN A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE SEARCH WAS TERMINATED AFTER 4 DAYS. FRIENDS & RELATIVES SPECULATED THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A DUAL INSTRUCTION FLT IN PREPARATION FOR A MULTI-ENG RATING. A RADAR TRACK ANALYSIS PROGRAM DEPICTED THE PATH OF THE FLT DEPARTING TORRANCE, PERFORMING MANEUVERS & DISAPPEARING FROM RADAR ABOUT 6 MI EAST OF CATALINA ISLAND. ACFT DAMAGE & INJURIES ARE PRESUMED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 215 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 132 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: TOA Torrance CA at 12:59 pm
- Destination: TOA Torrance CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.