Piper PA-28R-201 accident near Hawthorne, California, August 14, 1982
On August 14, 1982 at about 2:24 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-201, registered N9342C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hawthorne, California (Hawthorne 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
- August 14, 1982 · about 2:24 am local time
- Place
- Hawthorne, California · Hawthorne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201s on the register
- Registration
- N9342C · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7837192
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED ON FINAL APPROACH AFTER THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PLT STATED THAT ON FINAL THE ENGINE BACKFIRED, LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THROTTLE MOVEMENT. THE ENGINE HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF PREVIOUS WRITE-UPS & WORK ORDERS, WHICH INCLUDED FUEL PRESSURE FLUCTUATION, ROUGH ENGINE, BAD FUEL PUMP, ENGINE DIES AT IDLE AND RICH MIXTURE. ON THE DAY OF THE ACCCIDENT THE FUEL INJECTION UNIT WAS REMOVED FOR OVERHAUL AND REPLACED. DURING POST ACCIDENT TESTING THE ENGINE RAN BUT BECAME EXCESSIVELY RICH. MANUAL LEAN GAVE A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN RPM. LATER TESTING OF THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM REVEALED THE UNIT OPERATED ERRATICALLY AND WAS RICH AT LOWER PRESSURES.
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: 279 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,872 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HHR Hawthorne CA at 6:50 pm
- Destination: HHR Hawthorne CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 151°F (66°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:00 pm from LAX, 5 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.