Cessna 172S accident near Los Angeles, CA
On April 30, 2023, a Cessna 172S (airplane) was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 30, 2023
- Place
- Los Angeles, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.129°N, 118.443°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230430107167
Official records · WPR23FA172
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- FAA - Van Nuys Local Controller Audio: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 29, 2023, about 1950 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N575ND, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Los Angeles, California. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was renting the airplane from a flight school at Camarillo Airport (CMA). He had approached the school in early April 2023 for a flight review, having last flown July 2022 in the Bay Area of Northern California. The flight review was performed in the accident airplane and was completed two days before the accident. For the outbound flight, the pilot departed CMA about 1340, and arrived at Bermuda Dunes Airport (UDD), Palms Springs, about 1500. The route was to the north of the LAX Class B airspace and over the Class C and D airspace of the airports that lined the foothills of the San Garbriel Mountains. After arrival at UDD, the airplane was serviced with fuel. According to a family friend, the flight was for pleasure and the pilot planned to have lunch in the area then return to CMA later in the day. While in Palm Springs, the pilot sent a text message to his wife stating that he was going to be late due to weather, and the flight school’s scheduling software showed that he changed the airplane’s return time from 1800 to 2000. He did not have any meetings or appointments that would have necessitated being back that night. For the return flight, the airplane departed UDD at 1848 and flew on a northwest track, reaching an altitude of about 7,000 ft mean se
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance with the hilly terrain resulting from his loss of situational awareness due to the deteriorating weather conditions as he descended to approach his destination airport.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
Browse: California · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
