Cessna 172RG accident near Truckee, CA
On September 5, 1994, a Cessna 172RG (airplane) was involved in an accident near Truckee, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 5, 1994
- Place
- Truckee, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.330°N, 120.240°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X02270
NTSB summary
On September 5, 1994, about 1044 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172RG, N3745B, was destroyed in a ground collision sequence during the takeoff initial climb phase of flight from Truckee, California. The aircraft was operated by the El Toro Marine Corp Air Station (MCAS) Aero Club, Santa Ana, California, and was rented by the pilot for a personal cross-country flight. The pilot and three passengers received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at El Toro MCAS on September 2, 1994, and flew to South Lake Tahoe, California. On the morning of the accident, the pilot repositioned the aircraft to the Truckee airport to pick up a passenger, and was then planning to return to the El Toro MCAS. The pilot and two of the passengers were Marine Corp helicopter pilots in training at MCAS Tustin, California. The Truckee airport unicom operator stated that the airplane departed on runway 28. She observed the airplane rotate about midfield and assume a steep nose-high climb attitude. She stated that the airplane reached about 100 feet above the runway at the highest point. The aircraft flew down the runway without climbing higher. She said that she was "fearful of the consequences and called the fire station." After making the call, she looked back at the airplane and saw it just beyond the end of runway 28, where it appeared to stall and roll off on the left wing. A recently retired FAA inspector and his wife were outside of the airport unicom office at the time of the accident. They observed the airplane in
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO OBTAIN/MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED TO CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE GROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, IMPROPER TRIM SETTING FOR TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE'S EXCESSIVE GROSS WEIGHT, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE MAKE/MODEL OF AIRPLANE.
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Browse: California · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
