Cessna 172G accident near Victorville, California, January 3, 2000
On January 3, 2000 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N3690L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Victorville, California. 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 failure of the pilot to maintain positional awareness, which resulted in his becoming lost and disoriented. Contributing factors were the pilot's delay requesting assistance from air traffic control and the failure of the airplane's electrical generator.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 2000 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Victorville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3690L · registry record · serial 17253859
- 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, 2 hours 15 minutes after takeoff, the airplane's electrical generator failed and the airplane subsequently experienced electrical power failure. He said the engine then began to run rough. The recently licensed private pilot was not certain of his position and he made a precautionary landing at dusk on a county road. As the airplane touched down, the left wing struck a street sign which deflected the airplane across the highway median and across the (opposite direction) traffic lanes. The accident occurred 2 hours 45 minutes after takeoff. The airway distance from the departure airport to the intended destination was 167 nautical miles, and the distance to the accident location was approximately 142 nautical miles. Subsequent examination and a test run of the engine revealed no reason for the reported roughness.
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: 90 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,030 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1999; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Riverside Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: IFP Bullhead City AZ at 11:15 pm
- Destination: RAL Riverside CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from DAG, 32 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.