- Date
- October 2, 1988, 13:23 local (20:23 UTC)
- Place
- Auberry, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N20680Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881002042569A
- Case key
- 26264
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 was unfamiliar with the area that he was attempting to land in and circled to familiarize himself with the terrain. He then made a low pass over the dirt runway and circled to land. The first attempt was discontinued because the pilot felt that he as too high and too fast. He was comfortable with the second attempt, but just before touchdown, he decided to go around during the go around the airplane could not perform well enough to clear the terrain. The airplane collided with trees and the ground and then caught fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20680
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261487
- Airframe hours
- 4,415
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles A. Stock
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 8, 1988 · 1,077 hours before
- Departed
- SQL · San Carlos, CA
- Destination
- Topham Ranch, CA
- Airport
- Topham'S Ranch, runway 36, 1,900 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 175 total · 90 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAT, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.