Cessna 172A accident near Shoshone, California, December 18, 1999
On December 18, 1999 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172A, registered N34261, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shoshone, California (Shoshone Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for the existing strong and gusting wind conditions and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1999 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Shoshone, California · Shoshone Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A · all 172As on the register
- Registration
- N34261 · no longer on the register · serial 0622
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he overflew the runway to try and determine the wind direction and speed before he attempted to land. He said that the windsock was in tatters and he was unable to determine the wind volume, but that it was right down the runway. He set up for a short field landing using 40 degrees of flaps. The pilot said that as he flared for landing a microburst lifted the right wing and he was unable to regain directional control of the airplane before it exited the runway and struck a bush. A local police officer that interviewed the pilot said that the pilot told him that he asked his passenger to raise the flaps while he powered up the engine while they were in the air, trying to regain control of the airplane. The officer said that when he arrived shortly after the accident, the 'wind was very strong and the windsock was horizontal to the ground.'
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 301 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 101 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,732 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 6, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHV Mohave CA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: L61
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,380 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from LAS, 52 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.