Cessna A152 accident near Chino, California, April 23, 1983
On April 23, 1983 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Cessna A152, registered N761SD, was destroyed in an accident near Chino, California (Chino airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 23, 1983 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Chino, California · Chino · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A152 · all A152s on the register
- Registration
- N761SD · registry record · serial A1520980
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON A LOCAL SOLO FLT TO PRACTICE TOUCH & GO LANDINGS. AFTER MAKING AN APCH TO RWY 26, THE ACFT LANDED HARD ON THE MAIN GEAR & BOUNCED. AFTER THE 3RD BOUNCE, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED & A FIRE ERUPTED. THE PLT EXITED THE ACFT WITHOUT DIFFICULTY, BUT THE PLANE WAS CONSUMED BY A FUEL-FED FIRE.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 68 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 396 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 10, 1983; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,856 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:43 pm from CNO, 1 miles away
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.