Cessna 152 accident near Arvin, California, July 26, 1983
On July 26, 1983 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6445Q, was destroyed in an accident near Arvin, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- July 26, 1983 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Arvin, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6445Q · no longer on the register · serial 15285253
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A ROUGH ENGINE PRIOR TO THE POWER LOSS. THE PILOT REDUCED POWER AND APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT DURING THE DESCENT WHICH ENDED IN A FORCED LANDING IN A PLOWED FIELD. THE ACFT WAS LANDED PERPENDICULAR TO THE FURROWS & NOSED OVER. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED A CRACKED CARBURETOR. WHEN A NEW CARBURETOR WAS INSTALLED THE ENGINE STARTED AND RAN UNTIL SHUT DOWN. FUEL ABOARD THE ACFT AT THE CRASH SITE AND SIX QUARTS OF OIL REMAINED IN THE ENGINE.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,210 hours in all; 905 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days; 5,210 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,050 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1982; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Center International
The flight
- Departed from: MHV Mojave CA at 6:40 pm
- Destination: BFL Bakersfield CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from BFL, 28 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.