- Date
- July 5, 1992, 09:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Agua Caliente, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N78669Cessna 172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920705023719A
- Case key
- 27677
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 failure of the pilot to maintain an adequate approach airspeed and an inadvertent stall/mush condition which resulted in a collision with the ground short of the runway. A factor in the accident was the pilots lack of total experience in type of aircraft.
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
In his written statement the pilot said that he landed at the airport and took off again to perform one more landing. On short final approach the pilot said he determined that the aircraft 'was sinking too fast and would land short of the runway.' He said that he 'added full power and tried to bring the nose up,' but the aircraft continued to settle and struck the ground about 60 feet short of the runway. In a verbal statement to FAA inspectors, the pilot said he let the aircraft stall on short final. In his written statement, he said that the accident could have been prevented by maintaining a 'higher approach speed.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78669
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257711
- Airframe hours
- 2,575
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cruise Air Aviation
- Registered owner
- Cruise Air Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 15, 1992 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- L49 · Ramona, CA
- Airport
- L54 · Agua Caliente, runway 29, 2,500 × 60 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
- 21
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 87 total · 1 in this make and model · 40 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.