Cessna 414 incident near Van Nuys, California, October 20, 1983
On October 20, 1983 at about 5:13 pm local time, a Cessna 414, registered N414JC, was involved in an incident near Van Nuys, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- October 20, 1983 · about 5:13 pm local time
- Place
- Van Nuys, California · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N414JC · registry record · serial 414A0099
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMB TO CRUISE THE PILOT STATED THE NOSE OF THE ABRUPTLY PITCHED UP. HE PHYSICALLY OVERPOWERED THE FORCES AND LANDED THE ACFT. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT & SYSTEMS REVEALED NO FAILURES THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE PITCH UP.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,305 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 4,270 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 17, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNY
- Destination: SMO Santa Monica
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded at 8 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:13 pm from VNY, 1 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.