- Date
- October 4, 1987, 11:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Calistoga, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5234UCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871004058429A
- Case key
- 25779
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
Upon arriving over the destination arpt the plt used an incorrect CTAF frequency to contact the arpt and he used a right hand traffic pattern approaching the 2600 foot-long rwy. Because a residential area lay west of the arpt & open fields lay to the east, all landings are to be performed from over the fields--even when tailwinds are present. On this occasion a 5 to 15 kt tailwind existed. The plt touched down long & delayed in going around. The plt removed flaps before adding engine pwr & the acft barely became airborne by the end of the rwy. The aircraft was near max gross weight. The plt attempted to climb with an excessively high nose pitch attitude. The acft travelled for 1350 ft, stalled, entered an uncontrolled descent, and crashed into the backyard of a residence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5234U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0292
- Airframe hours
- 1,611
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-F1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cal Aggie Flying Farmers, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 1987 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- 0O5 · Davis, CA
- Airport
- 058 · Calistoga Airpark, runway 28L, 2,600 × 20 ft, asphalt
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Military, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,514 total · 1 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 15 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.