Cessna 172 accident near Lake Tahoe, CA
On July 7, 2020, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lake Tahoe, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 7, 2020
- Place
- Lake Tahoe, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.840°N, 120.010°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200707X01750
Official records · WPR20LA212
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On July 7, 2020, about 1523 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N6328D, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near South Lake Tahoe, California. The pilot sustained fatal injuries; the passenger sustained serious injuries to which she succumbed to 5 days later. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane departed Lake Tahoe Airport (TVL) South Lake Tahoe, California, shortly before the accident. A witness observed the airplane flying about 200 ft above ground level and heard the engine producing a sputtering sound consistent with losing and gaining power. The left wingtip struck a tree and the airplane aggressively yawed while continuing to fly low in a southerly direction until it disappeared from the witness's line of sight. The airplane wreckage was discovered about 2.5 nautical miles southwest of the departure end of runway 18. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed both propeller blades remained attached to the propeller hub, which was still attached to the engine. One propeller blade was straight with some nicks along the leading edge and the other blade displayed some tip bending with nicks and gouges along the outboard leading edge. When the engine was rotated at the propeller, valve train continuity was confirmed to the accessory section and thumb compression was obtained on all four cylinders; however, cylinder Nos. 3 and 4 had low compression. A borescope examination of the exhaust valves for cylinder Nos. 3 and 4 revealed carbon deposits around the exhaus
Probable cause
The partial loss of engine power due to carbon buildup in the No. 4 cylinder resulting from the pilot’s inadequate mixture-leaning procedures.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
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.
