Cessna 172S N2126F

Summary

On 20 April 2026 at about 18:07 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N2126F was involved in an accident near Pacoima, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

20 April 2026 at 18:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Pacoima, California, United States

Nearest airport

Whiteman (WHP)

Coordinates

34.2669, -118.4206

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N2126F

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pacoima → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR26LA164

1 person was seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full 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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.