- Date
- August 21, 1997, 16:02 local (23:02 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9710BCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 9, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970821023249A
- Case key
- 29880
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
Improper flare.
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 landed hard, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft veered to the left off the runway. The air traffic control tower reported that the winds were from 220 degrees at 18 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that the landing gear position indicator lights reflected that the gear was down before touchdown.
Factual narrative
On August 21, 1997, at 1602 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172RG, N9710B, veered left off the runway after the left main landing gear collapsed during landing at the General William J. Fox Airport, Lancaster, California. The airplane was substantially damaged and the certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The pilot operated the airplane as a personal flight when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Santa Monica, California at 1505. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that after he landed on runway 24, the left main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft veered to the left off the runway. The winds were reported by the air traffic control tower as being from 220 degrees at 18 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that the landing gear position indicator lights reflected that the gear was down before touchdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9710B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0983
- Airframe hours
- 6,237
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-F1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Justice Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 29, 1997
- Departed
- SMO · Santa Monica, CA
- Destination
- WJF
- Airport
- WJF · General Wm. J. Fox Field, runway 24, 5,001 × 150 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 375 total · 160 in this make and model · 340 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WJF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.