Cessna 172N N4936D

Summary

On 29 December 2013 at about 20:53 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N4936D, operated by Vista Aviation, was involved in an accident near Pacoima, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 December 2013 at 20:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Pacoima, California, United States

Nearest airport

Whiteman (WHP)

Coordinates

34.2583, -118.4142

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N4936D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Vista Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pacoima → Pacoima

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA080

2 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor’s inadequate compensation for the gusting crosswind conditions during landing, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot and the flight instructor were conducting a local instructional flight. The pilot reported that, due to high wind, the flight instructor took the controls during the landing. He added that, as the airplane touched down, it encountered a wind gust and then became airborne. The flight instructor applied power in an attempt to crab into the wind and avoid colliding with the air traffic control tower. The airplane then encountered another wind gust, ascended to about 50 ft, continued to drift left of the runway, and then rolled. The flight instructor was unable to maintain control, and the airplane subsequently descended and collided with power transmission lines, impacted a building, and came to rest in a nearby parking lot. The reported wind at the airport about the time of the accident was a 22-knot crosswind gusting up to 26 knots. The pilots reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.