- Date
- August 18, 1986, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Oroville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8976BCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860818086529A
- Case key
- 25242
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 pilot of a Cessna 172 flew low over a reservoir with the engine stopped. The aircraft was observed to make a hard right turn stall and descend into the water. The uninjured pilot exited the sinking aircraft and was rescued by some nearby fishermen. They took the pilot to the shore, dropped him off, and he hasn't been heard from since the aircraft sank in 300 feet of water. It was not reported whether the acft was ever recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8976B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36676
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Howard L Omdahl
- Registered owner
- Sale Reported
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
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 N8976B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.