Cessna 172M accident near Hawthorne, California, April 20, 1987
On April 20, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N73614, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hawthorne, California (Hawthorne airport). It was an instructional 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 20, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hawthorne, California · Hawthorne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N73614 · no longer on the register · serial 17267578
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A SOLO INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, THE STUDENT PILOT WAS PRACTICING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. HE NOTICED AS THE FLIGHT PROGRESSED, THAT THERE WAS SOME GUSTING CONDITIONS ALOFT AND THAT THE WIND DIRECTION WAS VARYING. ON THE LAST LANDING THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD, BECAME AIRBORNE, THEN TOUCHED DOWN A SECOND TIME. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO TAXI THE AIRCRAFT TO THE PARKING RAMP.
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: 97 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 32 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,582 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HHR Hawthorne CA at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,956 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N73614 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.