- Date
- July 17, 1995, 21:00 local (Jul 18, 1995, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Napa, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4915DCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950717019639A
- Case key
- 29154
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 directional control of the aircraft after one foot slipped off the rudder pedals, and his inadvertent application of asymmetrical brake forces.
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 reported that after touchdown a gust of wind caused the aircraft to swerve on the runway. He said one foot slipped off the rudder pedal while he was trying to correct the aircraft heading and he lost directional control. The aircraft then veered left off the runway and encountered soft soil, collapsing the nose gear. The firewall and right wing spar suffered damage during the accident. The pilot said he believes that when his foot slipped off the rudder pedal he may have inadvertently 'touched one brake, which made the swerve worse.'
Factual narrative
On July 17, 1995, at 2100 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N4915D, veered off runway 18R while landing at Napa, California, and damaged the wing and firewall during an encounter with soft soil. The aircraft was owned by Bridgeford Flying Service of Napa, and was rented by the pilot for a cross-country personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at Redding, California, about 1945 hours as the return leg of a round robin cross-country flight from Napa to Redding.
In his statement, the pilot reported that after touchdown a gust of wind caused the aircraft to swerve on the runway. He said one foot slipped off the rudder pedal while he was trying to correct the aircraft heading and he lost directional control. The aircraft then veered left off the runway and encountered soft soil, collapsing the nose gear. The firewall and right wing spar suffered damage during the accident. The pilot said he believes that when his foot slipped off the rudder pedal he may have inadvertently "touched one brake, which made the swerve worse."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4915D
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-72397
- Airframe hours
- 4,325
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bridgeford Flying Service
- Registered owner
- R A Bridgeford, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 7, 1995 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- RDD · Redding, CA
- Destination
- APC
- Airport
- APC · Napa County, runway 18R, 5,931 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 415 total · 306 in this make and model · 365 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.