- Date
- May 25, 1995, 18:54 local (May 26, 1995, 01:54 UTC)
- Place
- Boonville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5255FCessna 172F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 30, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950525012999A
- Case key
- 29100
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
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
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 pilot said that the original destination airport was fogged in when the flight arrived and he was attempting to find an airport that was open. After arriving over the airport at Boonville, the pilot made a low flyby of the runway to check it over in accordance with the flying club rules regarding landings at strange airports. The pilot added power to go around and enter the traffic pattern again for landing. As the aircraft achieved about 300 feet AGL, the engine lost power and the aircraft contacted the soft ground beyond the end of the runway. The nose wheel sheared off after it dug into the soft soil. Following recovery of the aircraft, it was examined by an FAA airworthiness inspector and a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic. The inspector reported that no preimpact discrepancies were found. After repair of impact damage, the engine was successfully started and run using the airframe fuel and ignition systems. The temperature and dew point at the closest weather reporting facility were noted to be 79 and 42 degrees respectively.
Factual narrative
On May 25, 1995, at 1854 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172F, N5255F, collided with the ground during an attempted go-around from a field at Boonville, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by the Beale AFB Flying Club and rented by the pilot for a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a military VFR flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, the certificated airline transport pilot and the one passenger were not injured. The flight originated at Beale AFB at 1735 as a cross-country flight to Little River, California.
In an oral statement, the pilot said that the destination airport was fogged in when the flight arrived and he was attempting to find an airport that was open. After arriving over the airport at Boonville, the pilot made a low flyby of the runway to check it over, in accordance with the flying club rules regarding landings at strange airports. The pilot added power to go around and enter the traffic pattern again for landing. As the aircraft achieved about 300 feet agl, the engine lost power and the aircraft contacted the soft ground beyond the end of the runway. The nose wheel sheared off after it dug into the soft soil.
Following recovery of the aircraft, it was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector and a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic. The inspector reported that no preimpact discrepancies were found. After repair of impact damage, the engine was successfully started and run using the airframe fuel and ignition systems.
The temperature and dew point at the closest weather reporting facility were noted to be 79 and 42 degrees respectively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5255F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17253361
- Airframe hours
- 11,519
- Engine
- Continental O-300D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Beale Afb Aero Club, Usaf
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 9, 1995 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- BAB · Beale Afb, CA
- Destination
- O48 · Little River, CA
- Flight plan
- Military VFR
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,200 total · 450 in this make and model · 4,150 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UKI, 22 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.