Piper PA-14 accident near Santa Ysabel, California, December 25, 1982
On December 25, 1982 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-14, registered N4230H, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Ysabel, California (Mesa Grande airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under rules the NTSB did not record. 4 people were 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
- December 25, 1982 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Ysabel, California · Mesa Grande · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-14 · all PA-14s on the register
- Registration
- N4230H · registry record · serial 14-33
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NARRATIVE WILL FOLLOW.
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: 2,500 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L39 Ramona CA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 1,700 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.