Cessna 172G accident near Huntington Bch, California, June 22, 1983
On June 22, 1983 at about 10:57 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N4655L, was destroyed in an accident near Huntington Bch, California (Meadowlark airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- June 22, 1983 · about 10:57 pm local time
- Place
- Huntington Bch, California · Meadowlark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4655L · no longer on the register · serial 17254650
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) & STUDENT PLT WERE ON AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FLT WHEN THE PIC NOTICED A LOSS OF ENG OIL PRESSURE. THEY SAW MEADOWLARK ARPT & BEGAN AN EMERGENCY APCH. THE PIC STATED THAT SHE RELINQUISHED HER PIC DUTIES TO THE STUDENT BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED HE HAD A HIGHER LEVEL OF FLYING EXPERIENCE. (THE STUDENT HAD TOLD HER THAT HE WAS A FORMER MILITARY PLT, BUT HAD NOT OBTAINED A CIVILIAN PLT CERTIFICATE.) WHILE ON FINAL APCH, THE ACFT WAS HIGH, SO THE STUDENT ELECTED TO MAKE A GO-AROUND AND A 360 DEG TURN. DURING THE TURN, HE RETRACTED THE FLAPS (LATER FOUND A 10 DEG). SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT MUSHED INTO THE ROOF OF A HOUSE & CRASHED INTO A FENCE & PATIO OF AN ADJACENT HOME. AN EXAM REVEALED OIL ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE OIL DRAIN SUMP PLUG,QUICK DRAIN,WAS FOUND IN THE OPEN POSITION & NO OIL WAS FOUND IN THE SUMP. THE FORWARD OIL BREATHER TUBE WAS CLOGGED. BEARING BABBIT MATERIAL WAS FOUND INTHE SUMP. THE OIL DRAIN O-RING WAS WORN, WHEN CLEANED/TESTED THE SUMP PLUG LEAKED.
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: 167 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 99 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,316 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 1982; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EMT El Monte CA at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,070 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.