Cessna 172 N786SA
3 June 2018 · San Diego, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 3 June 2018 at about 21:15 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N786SA, operated by Westwind School of Aeronautics, was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 4 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.
The record
- Date
- at 21:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Diego, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Montgomery-Gibbs Executive (MYF)
- Coordinates
- 32.8122, -117.1314
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172
- Registration
- N786SA
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2001
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Westwind School of Aeronautics
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Diego → Phoenix
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA18CA319
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Probable cause
The biplane pilot’s failure to see and avoid the stopped airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor, who was on the controls, reported that he and a student taxied for departure. Upon arrival at the departure end of the runway, there were four airplanes ahead of them in a run-up area. He added that the first airplane moved to the hold-short line and that, after he completed the engine run-up, they moved forward to the hold-short line behind the first airplane. The other three airplanes, which were biplanes, remained in the run-up area. After the departure of the first airplane, the instructor told the control tower they were ready for departure, and the tower controller replied to stand by. The tower controller then cleared the three biplanes, which were waiting in the run-up area for takeoff as a flight of three. The second biplane in the flight struck the instructor's airplane's right aileron as it taxied past. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped biplane reported that he was the second in the flight of three. He added that the flight had been holding in the run-up area at a 45° angle to complete their run-up checks when the tower controller cleared the flight for takeoff. He began to follow the lead airplane, and his airplane struck the airplane stopped at the hold-short line. He reported that he never saw the stopped airplane until after the impact. The instructor's airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron. In an interview with the Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the flight instructor reported that he was not aware that the three biplanes were part of a single flight awaiting takeoff clearance. He also reported that he had never flown tailwheel airplanes and was not aware of their limited forward visibility. The flight instructor and biplane pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with their respective airplanes that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172 S | N786SA | Westwind School of Aeronautics | Substantial |
| Great Lakes 2T1A 2 | N5762B | - | - |
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jan 2018 | Cessna 172 | Babylon, New York, United States | 30 Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 2018 | Cessna 172 | Midrand, South Africa | Lanseria Flight Centre (Pty) Ltd | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Aug 2018 | Cessna 172 | Shreveport, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 May 2018 | Cessna 172 | Payson, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 2018 | Cessna 172F | Williamsport, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Aug 2018 | Cessna 172 | Churchville, Maryland, United States | C K Leasing Servics Llc | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 2018 | Hawley Richard A1B | Lincoln, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2018 | Cassutt IIIM | Rosamond, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 May 2018 | Cessna 182D | Crescent Mills, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 2018 | Champion 7KCAB | Descanso, California, United States | Three Point Partners Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Jan 2018 | Robinson R44 | Newport Beach, California, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 12 Dec 2018 | Piper PA28 | Chino, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |