Cessna 172F accident near Hemet, California, September 12, 2019
On September 12, 2019 at about 10:20 pm local time, a 1965 Cessna 172F, registered N5229F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hemet, California (Hemet-Ryan airport). It was an instructional flight under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's improper decision to perform a precautionary landing on unsuitable terrain, which resulted in a noseover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2019 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Hemet, California · Hemet-Ryan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F A, built 1965 · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5229F · registry record · serial 17253280
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during landing, he told the student pilot to initiate a go-around. During the climb, the instructor saw dust devils at the end of the runway, so he instructed the student to also initiate a slight left turn. The instructor then noticed power lines past the dust devils, so he took the controls from the student and continued a shallow, 200 ft-per-minute climbing left turn to the south. While turning the airplane, the instructor saw other power lines to the south, so he decided to initiate a precautionary soft-field landing to a plowed field adjacent to the runway. During landing, the nose landing gear touched down, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut and vertical stabilizer. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Decision related to condition
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter; rotorcraft: unmanned (suas)
- Flight time: 11,497 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 99 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 8,370 as pilot in command; 1,617 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 6, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 42 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,542 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 31, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 9,076 hours total
- Operator: United States Air Force Owner
The flight
- Departed from: RIV Riverside CA at 9:43 pm
- Destination: HMT Hemet CA
- Runway 23, 4,315 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 10:58 pm from KRIV, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 20, 2019. 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 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Density Koch Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | 1965 Cessna 172 Performance Chart | 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.