# Accident 20050203002299A: Cessna 172M, Desert Center, CA, February 3, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 3, 2005, 14:55 local time
- Place: Desert Center, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.7431° N, 115.2358° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7431&lon=-115.2358&mi=10
- Aircraft: N472RA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N472RA-2008-02-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M
- Reported engine: LYC O320*
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 675 total, 150 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX05LA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA084) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050203002299A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) AIRCRAFT LANDED ON A DRY LAKE BED AND FLIPPED OVER. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED BRACKET AIRPORT (POC), LA VERNE, CA ON A CROSS COUNTRY INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT TO ERNEST A. LOVE FIELD (PRC), PRESCOTT, AZ. AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED (2000 FT) DESERT CENTER, CA, THE INSTRUCTOR LOOKED FOR A SUITABLE SPOT TO LAND ON A DRY LAKE BED. DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT, THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER AFTER THE TIRES SUNK IN A PATCH OF SOFT DIRT. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT CONSISTED OF A BENT PROP, CRUSHED ENGINE COWL, AND CRUSHED WING LEADING EDGES. THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE. THE INSTRUCTOR AND THE STUDENT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO INJURIES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX05LA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA084), Feb 3, 2005: Cessna 172M (N472RA), Desert Center, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The instructor's improper decision to land on the dry lakebed without knowing the condition of the landing surface. A factor in the accident was the soft sand surface of the lake bed.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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