Smith MINIPLANE DSA-1 accident near Chicago Park, California, April 18, 1982
On April 18, 1982 at about 10:22 pm local time, a Smith MINIPLANE DSA-1, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N103L, was destroyed in an accident near Chicago Park, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- April 18, 1982 · about 10:22 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago Park, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith MINIPLANE DSA-1 MINIPLANE, amateur-built
- Registration
- N103L · registry record · serial 10101
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED WHILE THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS AT LOW ALTITUDE. THE IMPACT OCCURRED JUST BELOW THE TOP OF A RIDGE AT THE EDGE OF A VALLEY AS THE PILOT WAS COMPLETING A LOOP. HE WAS PERFORMING THE LOOP PERPENDICULAR TO THE RIDGE, AND ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE LOOP, THE PLANE DESCENDED OUT OVER THE VALLEY. NO PRECRASH MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE AIRCRAFT OR ENGINE WAS EVIDENT.
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
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 658 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Auburn CA
- Destination: Auburn CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 250 ft
- Temperature: 163°F (73°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.