Cessna 120 accident near Lone Pine, California, September 19, 1983
On September 19, 1983 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N76744, was destroyed in an accident near Lone Pine, California (Saline Valley 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
- September 19, 1983 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lone Pine, California · Saline Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N76744 · no longer on the register · serial 11176
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A SAND BANK DURING TAKEOFF ROLL, A FUEL LEAK DEVELOPED AND THE ACFT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING A TAKEOFF ON A DRY LAKE BED WHEN THE ACFT HIT A FEW SAND BUMPS. THE NOSE WENT UP IN THE AIR ANDTHE ACFT CAME BACK DOWN HARD ON THE LEFT MAIN GEAR. THE LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED, FUEL LEAKED AND A FLASH FIRE STARTED. THEOCCUPANTS AND A DOG GOT OUT UNINJURED BEFORE THE ACFT WAS BURNED. THE PILOT AND HIS FRIENDS HAD TRIED TO SMOOTH THE LAKE BED BEFORE THE FLT BY FILLING RUTS AND MEASURING OFF THE SMOOTHEST PART FOR THE TAKEOFF. THE AREA ALLOCATED WAS 900FT LONG. THE PILOT HAD DETERMINED THE TAKEOFF DISTANCE TO BE 830 FT FOR THE ACFT AT GROSS WEIGHT. HE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE ACFT WAS AIRBORNE WHEN THE LEFT WHEEL HIT THE RISE IN THE TERRAIN JUST BEYOND THE DEPARTURE END OF THE STRIP.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,003 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 795 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,379 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-14 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Saline Valley CA at 2:30 pm
- Destination: BIH Bishop CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°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.
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.