- Date
- November 26, 1990, 12:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Tonopah, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N79551Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901126051959A
- Case key
- 27068
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 airplane's encounter with a wind gust while taxiing from landing. Contributing factors related to the pilot's improper weather evaluation and his lack of experience in making weather evaluations.
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
According to the 74-hour private pilot, during his x-c flight he had received weather briefings and had been informed that the surface wind at his destination airport was 25 knots. During the landing approach the UNICOM operator reported that the wind was 15 knots with gusts to 25 knots. The pilot landed, exited the runway, encountered a wind gust, lost control of the airplane, and nosed over. The pilot further reported that several minutes prior to the nose over event the UNICOM operator reported that the surface wind was 40 knots with gust to 60 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N79551
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17258170
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Double Eagle Aviation Inc.
- Departed
- WMC · Winnemucca, NY
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- TPH · Tonopah, runway 33, 7,162 × 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 74 total · 44 in this make and model · 42 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 40 knots, gusting 60
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- 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.