- Date
- October 16, 1990, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- San Carlos, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N73403Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 27043
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 visual lookout was inadequate.
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 airplane had been washed before departing on the accident flight. The pilot was going to fly the airplane around the pattern to dry it off so that it could be waxed. While taxiing to the run-up area the pilot failed to stay on the taxiway center line. The right wing collided with the wind sock mast.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73403
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267432
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- United Co-Op Flying Club Inc.
- Registered owner
- United Cooperative Flying
- Airport
- SQL · San Carlos
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 197 total · 60 in this make and model · 94 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
Other investigations on N73403 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.