- Date
- October 10, 1992, 19:47 local (Oct 11, 1992, 02:47 UTC)
- Place
- Fairfield, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N80780Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report August 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921010041529A
- Case key
- 27804
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 delay in initiating a go-around during a night landing. Factors related to the accident were: the pilot misjudging distance and speed resulting a overshooting the touchdown, the night light condition, his lack of night flying experience in a Cessna 172, and his failure to turn off the carburetor heat during the go-around.
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
Witnesses reported that the airplane touched down about half way down the 2,000 ft runway. The pilot added power and executed a go-around. The airplane struck a power pole located 38 ft above the runway elevation and 958 ft from the departure end of the runway. The airplane came to rest inverted in an adjacent field. The flaps were found down 10 deg and the carburetor heat was in the on position. The pilot had not recorded any night flying experience in the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80780
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17266744
- Airframe hours
- 4,012
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Travis A.F.B. Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Frank Levengood
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 15, 1992 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- SMF · Sacramento, CA
- Airport
- 8Q0 · Travis Afb Aero Club Arpt, runway 4, 2,000 × 50 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 405 total · 6 in this make and model · 27 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUU, 1 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.