Piper PA-38-112 accident near Inglewood, California, November 11, 1983
On November 11, 1983 at about 1:04 am local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2570V, was destroyed in an accident near Inglewood, California. It was an instructional 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
- November 11, 1983 · about 1:04 am local time
- Place
- Inglewood, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2570V · no longer on the register · serial 38-82A0075
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT SAID THAT THE ENG LOST POWER & HE INITIATED AN EMERGENCY LANDING. HE SWITCHED FUEL TANKS, APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT & CHECKED THE MAGNETOS. HOWEVER, BEFORE LANDING, THE ENG RESTARTED & THE STUDENT APPLIED FULL POWER & BEGAN TO CLIMB, NOT REALIZING THERE WERE POWER LINES AHEAD. THE ACFT STRUCK THE LINES, THEN CRASHED INTO A FREEWAY GUARD RAIL & AN AUTOMOBILE BEFORE COMING TO REST ON A HIGHWAY. THE LEFT WING BEGAN BURNING & THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. ONLY 1/2 GAL OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE RIGHT TANK. THE TEMP & DEW POINT WERE 67 & 58 DEG, RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO ICING PROBABILITY CHARTS, SERIOUS CARBURETOR ICE WOULD BE PROBABLE AT GLIDE POWER & VISIBLE ICING WOULD OCCUR AT RATED POWER. ALSO, THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT IF THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS MOVED TO AN ITERMEDIATE POSITION BEYOND THE OFF POSITION, NO FUEL WOULD FLOW TO THE ENG.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 44 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 17 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 728 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 24, 1983; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Piper Air Center
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.