Cessna 177 accident near San Fernando, California, March 20, 1982
On March 20, 1982 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N2952X, was destroyed in an accident near San Fernando, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 20, 1982 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- San Fernando, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N2952X · no longer on the register · serial 17700352
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED A TWO HOUR CHECK-OUT IN HIS RECENTLY PURCHASED AIRCRAFT. HE HAD ABOUT 6 TO 7 HOURS OF FLYING TIME IN THIS AIRCRAFT. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING HIS SECOND SOLO FLIGHT AFTER CHECK-OUT. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT MADE A GO-AROUND ON HIS FIRST APPROACH FOR LANDING. ON HIS SECOND APPROACH, HE CAME IN HIGH AND LONG. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES, THEN AN AUDIBLE INCREASE IN POWER WAS HEARD. THE AIRCRAFT WALLOWED OFF THE RUNWAY IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT STRUCK A FLAGPOLE, A FENCE, AND A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED AND A FIRE ERUPTED BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST AT A STREET INTERSECTION. FOUR CHILDREN WERE SITTING ON A ROCK NEAR THE CRASH SITE. ONE WAS STRUCK BY AN UNDETERMINED OBJECT AND HOSPITALIZED. THE OTHER THREE RECEIVED MINOR SCRATCHES WHILE SCRAMBLING OUT OF THE WAY. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS VERIFIED.
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: 280 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,700 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,275 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Los Angeles CA at 11:00 am
- Destination: 44S Sheridan OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,280 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 142°F (61°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:45 pm from VNY, 6 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.