Skip to content

LAX84FA045

1983-11-03 · RIVERSIDE, California, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RAL

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE THE PLT RADIOED IN THAT HE HAD BLOWN A ROD 'OR SOMETHING' AND WAS ABOUT TWO MILES OUT ON A RIGHT BASE LEG. HE THEN INFORMED THE TOWER THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE RUNWAY AFTER WHICH THE LEFT WING CONTACTED A POWER POLE AND THE ACFT EXPLODED ON IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED FOREIGN DEBRIS IN THE OIL PUMP AND THE NUMBER SIX CONNECTING ROD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT. THE RESPECTIVE END CAP HAD COME APART FROM THE CONNECTING ROD. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1983_LAX84FA045.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.