Cessna C170A accident near Cajon Pass, California, June 26, 1983
On June 26, 1983 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna C170A, registered N1239D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cajon Pass, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. 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
- June 26, 1983 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Cajon Pass, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C170A
- Registration
- N1239D · no longer on the register · serial 19793
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS FLYING ABOUT 40 FT AGL IN MARGINAL WEATHER WHEN THE ACFT CONTACTED A POWER LINE AND CRASHED. NO FLT PLAN WASFILED AND THERE IS NO RECORD OF A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR THE PLT. THE PLT STATED HE WAS FOLLOWING A HIGHWAY UP A PASS WHENHE ENCOUNTERED MARGINAL VISIBILITY. HE SAID HE COULD NOT TURN AROUND DUE TO LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE TERRAIN. A WITNESS SAID HE SAW THE ACFT ABOUT 4O FT AGL AND SAW IT COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES AND COME DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. THE PLT SAID HE SHOULD HAVE MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN BEFORE HE GOT INTO THE REDUCED VISIBILITY. HE SAID THAT WHEN HE SAW THE POWER LINES HE ADDED FULL POWER BUT THE STALL WARNING SOUNDED SO HE PUT THE NOSEDOWN AND TRIED TO GO BETWEEN THE POWER LINES.
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: 394 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 349 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,474 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1983; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 5533-D-O-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L67 Rialto CA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 0L8 Hanford CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from SBD, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.