- Date
- April 30, 1986, 15:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Clearlake, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N738JECessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860430017659A
- Case key
- 25151
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flt instructor (CFI) said he was instructing the student in how to judge a straight-in approach and landing to a dock with minimal taxiing required. During the approach, the CFI determined that the student was overshooting the desired touchdown point, so he told the student to make a go-around. A normal go-around was initiated in addition to a right turn. After 8 to 10 seconds on the crosswind leg, another right turn was started to take the aircraft out toward the mouth of the bay. The CFI stated that after 2 to 3 seconds in the turn,' the aircraft abruptly banked left, lost altitude and the left wing dug into the water.' He also stated that the lake was surrounded by hills that rose 3,000 ft or more above the lake level, and that 'strong upper level winds, roll turbulence and shifting gusting winds can occur near the shore of the lake.' Reportedly, at the time of the accident, the winds were from 240 degs, variable to 290 degs at 10 gusting 15 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N738JE
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17270007
- Airframe hours
- 3,226
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Boynton'S Flying Service
- Registered owner
- David J. Boynton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 19, 1986 · 12 hours before
- Airport
- Q78 · Skylark
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,970 total · 62 in this make and model · 1,850 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N738JE · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.