Cessna C-172N N3318E
3 October 1991 · Palo Alto, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 3 October 1991 at about 16:54 local time, a Cessna C-172N registered N3318E, operated by Air One, was involved in an accident near Palo Alto, California, United States. One person was on board and one 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 16:54
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Palo Alto, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Palo Alto (PAO)
- Coordinates
- 37.4497, -122.0993
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-172N
- Registration
- N3318E
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Air One
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX92LA003
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
AN INFLIGHT LOS OF CONTROL DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO CORRECTLY CONFIGURE THE RUDDER TRIM FOR TAKEOFF.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE STUDENT PILOT SAID SHE WAS PRACTICING SOFT FIELD TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS DURING THE SOLO INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION. GROUND WITNESSES AT THE AIRPORT REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT ACHIEVED A VERY STEEP CLIMB ANGLE AFTER ROTATION FOR THE TAKEOFF INITIAL CLIMB. THE AIRCRAFT THEN BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE LEFT IN A NOSE HIGH DESCENT ATTITUDE AND THE LEFT WING COLLIDED WITH A TREE ON A GOLF COURSE ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EXAMINED BY FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTORS. CONTROL SYSTEM CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGHOUT THE AIRCRAFT. NO ABNORMAL SYSTEM CONDITIONS WERE NOTED DURING THE EXAMINATION. THE RUDDER TRIM CONTROL WAS FOUND POSITIONED AT ABOUT 50 PERCENT TO THE LEFT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna C-172N accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 1991 | Cessna C-172N | Ellensburg, Washington, United States | Interwest Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1991 | Cessna C-172N | Alabaster, Alabama, United States | Teleunion Corp. | Fatal | 2 |
| 17 Nov 1993 | Cessna C-172N | Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States | Idaho Falls AV Center | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 1983 | Cessna C-172N | Friday Harbor, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Nov 1980 | Cessna C-172N | Sterling, Massachusetts, United States | Sterling Flyin | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 May 2006 | Cessna C-172N | Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |