# Accident 20200707008559A: Cessna 172N, South Lake Taho, CA, July 7, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 7, 2020, 15:23 local time
- Place: South Lake Taho, CA
- Airport: Lake Tahoe Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.8405° N, 120.0104° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8405&lon=-120.0104&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6328D, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6328D-2021-07-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172N (registry code 2072434, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot, student
- Pilot flight hours: 75 total, 55 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR20LA212](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20LA212) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200707008559A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM FALLON AIRPORT (KFLX) TO SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (KTVL) FOR AN AERIAL SIGHTSEEING TOUR. AIRCRAFT LANDED AT KTVL FOR UNKNOWN REASONS AND FOR UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME. AN EYE WITNESS STATED THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED KTVL AT APPROXIMATELY 1520 LOCAL TIME. DURING THE TAKE-OFF CLIMB OUT, APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF KTVL, THE AIRCRAFTS LEFT WING CLIPPED A TREETOP SEVERING THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE LEFT WING CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL AND IMPACT THE GROUND, INVERTED, AND COMING TO REST ON A PREVIOUSLY FALLEN TREE ON THE FOREST FLOOR. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED, AND HIS PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. ALL PARTS OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, WITH THE LEFT OUTBOARD WING SECTION APPROXIMATELY 150 YARDS WEST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE UNDER THE TREE IT STRUCK. AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. PAX PASSED A FEW DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT IN THE HOSPITAL.

## 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 WPR20LA212](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20LA212), Jul 7, 2020: Cessna 172 (N6328D), Lake Tahoe, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The partial loss of engine power due to carbon buildup in the No. 4 cylinder resulting from the pilot’s inadequate mixture-leaning procedures.

## Other reports on N6328D (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19870409011969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870409011969A), Apr 9, 1987: Cessna 172N (N6328D), Big Pine Key, FL, Substantial damage. The engine lost power for undetermined cause. The pilot safely landed the aircraft on a road. Hit signs during taxi

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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