Cessna 175 accident near Lakeport, California, January 6, 2017
On January 6, 2017 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1960 Cessna 175, registered N8148T, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Lakeport, California (Lampson Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to secure the airplane before pulling the propeller through, which resulted in the airplane rolling and subsequently colliding with a parked airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2017 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeport, California · Lampson Field · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 B, built 1960 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N8148T · no longer on the register · serial 17556848
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he attempted to start the airplane but that "the starter did not engage the flywheel." He affirmed that he turned off the master switch and exited the airplane. He reported that he was alone when he pulled the propeller through, and the airplane started. The unoccupied airplane rolled across the tarmac and collided with the empennage of a parked airplane. Substantial damage was sustained to the left wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during prior to flight
- Ground collision during prior to flight defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Parking/securing › Tie › down/mooring › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Aircraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 650 hours in all; 311 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3.8 in the last 30 days; 571.2 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 19, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,140.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 1,978 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HES Healdsburg CA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: 1O2 Lakeport CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from KUKI, 16 miles away
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 17, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record – No Photographs | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.