Cessna 172 accident near Hawthorne, California, July 8, 1987
On July 8, 1987 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N1466U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hawthorne, California (Hawthorne airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1987 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Hawthorne, California · Hawthorne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N1466U · registry record · serial 17267133
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG AN APCH TO RWY 25, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE OMNI DIRECTIONAL APCH LIGHTING SYSTEM (ODALS). THE PLT INDCD THAT SHE ENCTRD A DOWNDRAFT ON SHORT FINAL & APPLIED FULL POWER; HOWEVER, THE ACFT CONTD TO DSCND & STRUCK ONE OF THE ODALS LIGHT COVER LENSES WITH A WING STRUT. AFTER HITTING THE ODALS, THE ACFT CONTD TO FLY & WAS LANDED ON RWY 25. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WERE RPRTD. TOWER PERSONNEL RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 280 AT 9 KTS.
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: 91 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,349 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1987; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HRR at 1:20 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,956 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from HRR
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX87LA258.