- Date
- March 12, 1990, 13:05 local (18:05 UTC)
- Place
- Tampa, FL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9899LCessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 32570
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
Pilots failure to maintain airspeed (vs), which resulted in an inflight loss of control (stall/spin), and in flight collision with terrain.
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 of a civil air patrol Cessna 172P airplane, departed runway 36 after conducting a touch and go landing, on a proficiency flight, from vandenberg airport, Tampa, Florida. No flight pllan was filed, and VFR flight conditions prevailed. Witnesses observed the airplane between 200 to 500 feet AGL on a left crosswind to downwind turn, with a 30 to 35 degree nose up attitude, and a 45 to 90 degree angle of bank. The nose of the airplane pitched down 90 degrees, and the airplane spun 3/4 of a turn to the left, before colliding with the terrain, and a portable sign. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9899L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276646
- Airframe hours
- 1,307
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 23, 1990 · 13 hours before
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
- 237 total · 177 in this make and model · 111 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA, 6 nm away