Cessna 152 accident near Castaic, California, January 23, 1983
On January 23, 1983, a Cessna 152, registered N25061, was destroyed in an accident near Castaic, California (Burbank airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- January 23, 1983
- Place
- Castaic, California · Burbank
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25061 · no longer on the register · serial 15280523
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ABOUT 3 HRS AFTER HE TOOK OFF, THE PLT CALLED BURBANK TOWER & ADVISED HE WAS LOST & WAS AT 4000 FT, HEADING SOUTHBOUND. TOWER PERSONNEL ADVISED HIM TO CONTACT BURBANK APCH CONTROL ON 121.5, BUT RECEIVED NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. A FEW MINUTES LATER, A HELICOPTER PLT ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE LOST PLT, BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. LATER, THE ACFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT CRASHED ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 3500 FT. ABOUT 28 MI WEST-NORTHWEST AT BURBANK, THE 0849 PST WX WAS, IN PART: 1500 SCATTERED, 4000 FT OVERCAST, WIND 140 DEG AT 4 KTS. THE ELEVATION AT BURBANK IS 775 FT.
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: 150 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 94 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,844 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 30, 1982; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BUR Burbank Airport CA at 4:11 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:49 pm from BUR, 28 miles away
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.