Cessna 172M N1259U

Summary

On 17 July 1994 at about 18:15 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N1259U, operated by Sacramento Aero Services, was involved in an accident near Sacramento, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 July 1994 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Sacramento, California, United States

Nearest airport

Natamos Field (Q96)

Coordinates

38.6393, -121.5394

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N1259U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Sacramento Aero Services

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX94FA289

4 people died.

the failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering after takeoff and his failure to retract the flaps prior to departure. A factor in this accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot began his takeoff roll, and during the takeoff roll the nose wheel was raised, then lowered back to the runway. A few seconds later, the aircraft again rotated, climbed about 2 feet, and then settled back onto the runway. On the next attempt, the pilot initiated a climb. The climb performance was described as 'wallowing,' with a slow rate of climb and a steep pitch attitude. The aircraft climbed to approximately 300 feet agl while making a shallow, left turn. During that time, the pitch attitude increased and then decreased. Witnesses described a second shallow, left turn. The pitch attitude increased to an estimated 30 degrees and then begin to decrease. The aircraft banked left and pitched down, descending toward the ground in a 70-degree nose-low attitude. The flap jackscrew was found extended, approximating full flaps. No evidence was found that the pilot had flown any aircraft within the last 4 months.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.