Cessna 172P accident near Huntingtonbeach, California, April 23, 1987
On April 23, 1987 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N54978, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntingtonbeach, California (Meadowlark airport). 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 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
- April 23, 1987 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Huntingtonbeach, California · Meadowlark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N54978 · no longer on the register · serial 17275097
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON TOUCHDOWN THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT BOUNCED TWICE. THE PLT INITIATED A GO-AROUND BY RETRACTING THE FLAPS AND ADDING FULL POWER. THE ACFT DID NOT GAIN ENOUGH ALTITUDE BEFORE COLLIDING WITH A QUONSET HUT LOCATED 210 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY.
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: 240 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 414 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1987; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FUL Fullerton CA at 3:15 am
- Destination: L16 Huntingtonbeach CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,330 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:46 am from SNA, 9 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.