- Date
- December 4, 1990, 15:24 local (23:24 UTC)
- Place
- Big Bear City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N12943Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901204052779A
- Case key
- 27073
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 adequate airspeed during takeoff and his incorrect use of full flaps. Factors related to the high density altitude condition and to the pilot's abrupt airplane handling techniques.
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 airline transport pilot received a checkout from the fixed base operator in the morning of the accident flt. The rt front seat noncertificated student plt reptd that after the checkout when the PIC dept cable arpt he nearly stalled the airplane because he used full flaps and rotated abruptly. The PIC was able to arrest the imminent stall and then proceeded to big Bear, a 6,750 ft high alt arpt. When the flt dept big Bear the PIC did not lean the mixture and again used full flaps for takeoff. The PIC rotated the airplane prematurely by abruptly pulling the control wheel all the way back. The airplane gained some altitude, became unstable and stalled. During the stall the PIC failed to lower the nose and immediately retracted the flaps. The airplane contacted the rwy and nosed over. The pilot's usage of flaps was contrary to published instructions in the Cessna owner's manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12943
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17262389
- Airframe hours
- 6,591
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cable Air
- Registered owner
- Robert Cable
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 19, 1990 · 24 hours before
- Destination
- CCB · Upland, CA
- Airport
- L35 · Big Bear City, runway 7, 5,850 × 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 80 in this make and model · 990 as pilot in command · 184 in the last 90 days · 49 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- VCV, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N12943 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.