Cessna 172N accident near Santa Ysabel, California, February 8, 1982
On February 8, 1982 at about 10:48 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733ZR, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Ysabel, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 8, 1982 · about 10:48 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Ysabel, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733ZR · no longer on the register · serial 17268683
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG WX BRIEFINGS AT 1024 & 1247 THE PLT WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO LOW CEILINGS & ICING CONDITIONS. AT ABOUT 1418 THE ACFT DEPARTED. AT 1439 THE PLT CONTACTED FLIGHT WATCH (FW) & REPORTED PICKING UP LEADING EDGE ICE 6.4 MI EAST OF THE JULIAN VOR. AT 1443 THE PLT REQUESTED A HEADING BACK TO PALOMAR. FW ADVISED THE PLT THAT FW DOES NOT HAVE DF STEER CAPABILITY & TO CONTACT SAN DIEGO RADIO. THIS TRANSMISSION WAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED & THERE WERE NO FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS. THE CRASH SITE ELEVATION WAS ABOUT 3,500 FT MSL. THE 1456 SURFACE WX OBSERVATION AT GILLESPIE FLD, EL CAJON, CA, LOCATED ABOUT 25 NM SW OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REPORTED A BROKEN CLOUD CEILING EQUATING TO 1,885 FT MSL. THE PLT'S FIANCE STATED THAT THE PLT WAS ANXIOUS TO RETURN TO ALBUQUERQUE TO CLEAR UP HIS BUSINESS AFFAIRS & RETURN FOR THEIR PENDING MARRIAGE.
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: 32 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 392 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRQ Carlsbad CA at 2:18 pm
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 136°F (58°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from SEE, 25 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.