- Date
- August 1, 1990, 16:05 local (23:05 UTC)
- Place
- Mammoth Lakes, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N51872Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900801029499A
- Case key
- 26880
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
Inadvertent encounter with high velocity winds.
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 certificated commercial pilot, the sole occcupant, was taxiing to the airport ramp after landing and noticed tumbleweeds and debris being blown in the direction of his airplane. The pilot stopped the airplane and a few seconds later, the airplane was struck by high velocity winds. The airplane was lifted up and inverted. The pilot was not injured. Thunderstorms and virga were reported in the area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51872
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274367
- Airframe hours
- 3,851
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Hanger #1 Aero Service
- Registered owner
- Rod Philbrick
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 16, 1990 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- BIH · Bishop, CA
- Airport
- MMH · Mammoth Lakes, runway 27, 7,000 × 100 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 4,096 total · 1,618 in this make and model · 3,972 as pilot in command · 152 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 34 °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.