- Date
- December 23, 1989, 14:28 local (22:28 UTC)
- Place
- Byron, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8218BCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891223052959A
- Case key
- 26711
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 failure to maintain sufficient terrain clearance altitude during a low altitude turn. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's poor judgement in conducting touch-and-go landings with a 700-foot ceiling.
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
Pilot only remembers doing touch-and-go landings with a 700 ft ceiling. Witnesses observed the airplane buzz a hangar twice, then do a touch-and-go. At the end of the runway the aircraft did a hard left turn. The wingtip dug into the ground and the airplane cartwheeled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8218B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36018
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Eugene J. Thull
- Airport
- Byron, runway 32, 2,800 × 30 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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,079 total · 1,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °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.