Cessna 172N accident near Murrieta, CA
On July 4, 2023, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Murrieta, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 4, 2023
- Place
- Murrieta, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.574°N, 117.129°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230705192510
Official records · WPR23FA247
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 4, 2023, about 1357 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N5243E, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Murrieta, California. The pilot was fatally injured, and the three passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot’s wife reported that they had planned a local scenic flight with their kids. They arrived at the airport about noon and completed one flight with the pilot’s wife and one of their four children. She and her son deplaned, and the other three sons boarded the airplane and subsequently departed on the accident flight. They flew the same route as the first flight and then returned to the departure airport about 1355 for a full-stop landing. Surveillance video showed the airplane on an approach toward runway 18. The airplane touched down on the runway, rolled for about 1-2 seconds, then departed the runway surface and immediately entered a climb in a nose-high attitude as it drifted left of the runway centerline. After the airplane reached about 60 ft above ground level, it began to settle and subsequently entered a left-wing-low attitude. The airplane rolled inverted and then disappeared from view of the camera behind a building. Approximate flap positions could not be determined due to the resolution of the video. A witness reported that the airplane’s approach to runway 18 was “squirrely” and the flaps appeared to be fully extended. After the airplane made contact with the runway, about 1,000 ft from the approa
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Contributing to the loss of control was the pilot’s sudden retraction of the flaps.
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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.
