Piper PA-18 accident near Oceanside, California, October 16, 1982
On October 16, 1982 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N7873D, was destroyed in an accident near Oceanside, California (Oceanside Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 16, 1982 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Oceanside, California · Oceanside Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N7873D · no longer on the register · serial 18-6028
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ATTEMPTING A TOUCH AND GO FROM A WHEEL LANDING THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND COLLIDED WITH A PARKED AIRCRAFT AND A CHAIN FENCE, FINALLY NOSING OVER. THE PILOT SAID HE DID NOT USE ENOUGH RIGHT RUDDER DURING THE ROLL. THE PARKED AIRCRAFT, N5515B, A CESSNA 152, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGE.
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: 785 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 714 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,246 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OCN Oceanside CA at 7:00 am
- Destination: OCN Oceanside CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 154°F (68°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.