- Date
- January 27, 1990, 12:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Inyokern, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N12528Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900127001169A
- Case key
- 26727
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
Improper in-flight planning/decision by the pilot-in-command (PIC), and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush.
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 flt was engaged in a balloon popping contest. An apch was made to the contest area at about 200' AGL, with slow airspeed & the flaps extended. The plt-in-command (PIC) saw a balloon to his left & maneuvered to chase the balloon. While maneuvering, the acft began to settle & the PIC was unable to arrest the descent before ground contact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12528
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17262043
- Airframe hours
- 1,110
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Floyd A. Kinder
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 15, 1989 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- IYK
- Destination
- IYK
- Airport
- IYK · Inyokern, runway 33, 7,344 × 75 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 142 total · 76 in this make and model · 107 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 18 °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.