Waco UPF7 accident near Seal Beach, California, May 15, 1983
On May 15, 1983 at about 8:39 pm local time, a Waco UPF7, registered N29962, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seal Beach, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1983 · about 8:39 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Seal Beach, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF7 · all UPF7s on the register
- Registration
- N29962 · registry record · serial 5459
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LANDED ON A BEACH HIGHWAY AFTER THE ENGINE QUIT AT 800 FEET MSL. THE ACFT DAMAGE DURING THE LANDING WAS LIMITED TO A BROKEN LANDING STRUT, BENT PROPELLER BLADE AND FRACTURED FRONT AND REAR SPARS OF THE RIGHT WING. THE FLIGHTWAS A SCENIC EXCURSION BY THE PILOT WITH ONE PASSENGER. AFTER THE LANDING THE SIGHT GAUGES READ EMPTY FOR THE LEFT TANK AND LESS THAN ONE QUARTER FOR THE RIGHT FUEL TANK. THE FUEL CAPS WERE FOUND TO BE INSTALLED BACKWARDS WHICH WOULD CAUSE NEGATIVE PRESSURE ON THE TANKS. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS FLYING WITH THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR ON BOTH WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT.HE SAID HE TRIED ALL POSITIONS FOR RESTART WITH NO SUCCESS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,590 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 2,375 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 1982; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-5A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Huntington Bch. GA at 1:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N29962 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Waco UPF-7 189 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Waco 657 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental W670-5A 987 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,713 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX83LA232.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.