Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172S near Pacoima, CA — 2026-04-20

Investigation ongoingWPR26LA164
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Date
2026-04-20
Location
Pacoima, CA, USA
Airport
WHP
Aircraft
CESSNA 172S
Registration
N2126F
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On April 20, 2026, about 1107 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N2126F, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Whiteman Airport (WHP), Pacoima, California. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A review of ADS-B data revealed the airplane departed from runway 12 at WHP and remained within the airport traffic pattern. The airplane continued on the downwind leg until it was about 5 nautical miles (nm) northwest of the airport when a left turn to base was made. The data showed that at 1104:03, the airplane continued the turn left onto final for runway 12 at an altitude of 1,775 ft mean sea level (msl) and ground speed of 74 knots. Throughout the final approach leg to the runway, altitude steadily decreased while ground speed fluctuated from 74 knots to 94 knots until 1106:01. Over the final 1 minute, 22 seconds of recorded ADS-B data, the ground speed decreased to approximately 55 knots, and altitude had decreased to about 1,000 ft msl. ADS-B contact was lost about 0.4 nm northwest of the runway 12 threshold. A witness video showed the airplane on final approach to runway 12 as it impacted powerlines and terrain about 0.3 miles northwest of the runway threshold. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and empennage. The airplane was recovered to a secure location for further examination. WHP was a tower controlled airport operating under class-D airspace. The airport is equipped with two runways, runway 12 and runway 30. Runway 12 was equipped with a 2-light Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), located on the right side of the runway, and set at a 3.8° glideslope.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) · Approach-VFR pattern final
View NTSB preliminary report

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