Cessna 170B accident near Near Pala, California, March 21, 1983
On March 21, 1983 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2462D, was destroyed in an accident near Near Pala, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- March 21, 1983 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Near Pala, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2462D · no longer on the register · serial 20614
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO A FRIEND OF THE PLT, HE (THE PLT) HAD WATCHED WX INFOR ON TV, ON 3/20/83. TO THE FRIEND'S KNOWLEDGE, THE PLT HAD NEVER TELEPHONED THE FAA FSS FOR A WX BRIEFING OR TO FILE A FLT PLAN. AFTER THE FRIEND TOOK THE PLT & HIS WIFE (WHO WAS ALSO A PLT) TO THE ARPT, HE OBSERVED THE ACFT DEPART TO THE EAST WHERE THE WX LOOKED VERY DARK. APRX 30 T0 35 MIN LATER, WITNESSES HEARD THE ACFT CIRCLE AT LOW ALTITUDE IN THE VICINITY OF THE PALOMAR OBSERVATORY. THEY THEN HEARD A LOUD NOISE WHEN THE ACFT HIT A 110 FT TREE, APRX 80 FT AGL. NONE OF THE WITNESSES COULD SEE THE ACFT. REPORTEDLY, THE CEILING & VISIBILITY WERE AT OR NEAR ZERO-ZERO, WIND FROM 360 DEG AT 5 KTS, TEMPERATURE 30 DEG, WITH HEAVY SNOW & FOG THAT CONTINUED THRU-OUT THE DUTY. NEITHER OF THE PLTS WERE INSTRUMENT RATED.
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: 765 hours in all; 765 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,122 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1982; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OCN Oceanside at 3:05 pm
- Destination: P34 Window Rock AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.