Cessna 172N N738ET
7 July 1997 · Joshua Tree, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 7 July 1997 at about 22:37 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N738ET was involved in an accident near Joshua Tree, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:37
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Joshua Tree, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Joshua Tree (L80)
- Coordinates
- 34.1493, -116.2707
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N
- Registration
- N738ET
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Monica → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97LA237
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to adequately judge the wind direction and to select the correct runway, which resulted in a downwind landing; and his failure to go around, while there was sufficient runway remaining. The tailwind, fence, and ditch were related factors.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that while he was preparing to land, he was 'unable to determine any substantial wind by ground observation or from any effect on the path of the aircraft over terrain.' He stated that he then made a low pass over runway 6 and observed the windsock to show a moderate crosswind from the north. The pilot then made an approach, but landed long and with a slight bounce. The aircraft overran the runway and collided with a fence and a berm, then nosed over. The pilot further reported that after the accident, he observed the windsock to show a tailwind for landing on runway 6. Also, he was told that the winds were coming from 240 degrees at approximately 12 knots at the time of the accident. He stated that he 'misjudged the stopping distance and failed to initiate a go-around.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1997 | Cessna 172P | Fowlerville, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Cessna 172N | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 1997 | Cessna 172M | Athens, Tennessee, United States | Michael B. Guest | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 1997 | Cessna 172N | La Jolla, California, United States | Richard Jones | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Aug 1997 | Cessna 172P | Rockhill, South Carolina, United States | Scott S. Fisher | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1997 | Cessna 172 | Middletown, Ohio, United States | Barbara F. Schmidt | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Airbus A300 B4-203 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Pan American World Airways, In | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Cessna 152 | Julian, California, United States | Plus One Flyers, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Schweizer 2-32 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7ECA | Tracy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 | Castaic, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |