- Date
- September 24, 1989, 18:30 local (Sep 25, 1989, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Auburn, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1679GBellanca Citabria
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890924035929A
- Case key
- 26508
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent activation of nose down trim which resulted in a loss of control and collision with a tree. Contributing factor(s) was: the pilot's lack of experience in this type of airplane.
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
This was pilot's first solo in this aircraft after last hour with a CFI. The pilot reported he probably stalled the aircraft during the approach. He indicated he accidently moved the trim knob to the nose down position instead of using the throttle knob to correct for a low approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1679G
- Reported as
- Bellanca Citabria
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Avco Lycoming IO-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Auburn Wings
- Airport
- AUN · Auburn, runway 25, 3,100 × 60 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 347 total · 5 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °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 N1679G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.