Cessna 17OA accident near Ramona, California, August 15, 1983
On August 15, 1983 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 17OA, registered N5478C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ramona, California (Ramona airport). 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1983 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ramona, California · Ramona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 17OA
- Registration
- N5478C · no longer on the register · serial 19512
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PRACTICING TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS IN WINDS THAT WERE VARIABLE AT 5 GUSTING 10 KTS. ON HIS 4TH LANDING, HE TOUCHED DOWN USING THE 'FULL STALL TECHNIQUE.' HE REPORTED THAT AFTER TOUCHING DOWN, HE TURNED OFF THE CARBURETOR HEAT & RAISED THE FLAPS, THEN WITHOUT WARNING, THE ACFT BEGAN YAWING TO THE RIGHT. DESPITE RECOVERY EFFORTS, HE LOST CONTROL, THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY & THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PLT STATED THAT WHEN HE WAS ON FINAL TO LAND ON RWY 27, THE WIND WAS FROM THE NORTHWEST, BUT AFTER THE ACCIDENT, HE NOTED THAT IT HAD SHIFTED TO THE EAST. ABOUT 15 MIN LATER, THE WIND SHIFTED BACK TOWARD THE WEST AGAIN.
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, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,271 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 3,956 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,310 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1983; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.
Other NTSB records under N5478C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.