Cessna 172M accident near Avalon, California, March 24, 2002
On March 24, 2002 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N61737, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avalon, California (Catalina airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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 bounced landing recovery technique, which resulted in an inadvertent porpoise.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 2002 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Avalon, California · Catalina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N61737 · registry record · serial 17264173
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The rental airplane porpoised on landing and sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot said that the approach was normal. The flap position indicator ceased to function during the flight and the pilot estimated that he used 20 degrees of flaps for the approach and landing. He said that once he had the runway made, he reduced the throttle to idle and flared. He stated that even though the throttle was all the way to the rear, the engine continued to produce "quite a bit of power" that he estimated was between 1,200 and 1,600 rpms. The aircraft bounced after the initial touchdown and he lowered the nose in an attempt to get the airplane to settle onto the runway. The aircraft bounced three more times during this process. The pilot stated that the only way he could get the engine to cease producing excess thrust was to move the mixture control to the idle cutoff position. After moving the mixture, the engine continued to run for 30 or more seconds until it finally shutdown. Examination of the maintenance records disclosed that the engine had been overhauled on January 16, 2002, and was installed on the airframe on March 12, 2002, about 17 hours prior to the accident. The records listed the carburetor as having been overhauled at the time of engine overhaul. Safety Board investigators examined the airplane and engine at the operator's maintenance facility. The carburetor exhibited fuel staining from the parting surface gasket. Continuity of the power controls was established between the cockpit and the carburetor. The carburetor was removed from the engine and taken to a carburetor overhaul facility, where it was installed on a calibrated fuel flow test bench. The carburetor flowed to specification and the float stopped the flow at the correct level. Following the functional test, the unit was disassembled. The screws securing the bowl chamber to the carburetor body were tight. The brass floats were intact and set correctly. The jets were intact and clear. According to the NOAA Airport Facility Directory entry for the Catalina Airport, runway 22 is asphalt and 3,240 feet long by 100 feet wide with a 1.7 percent upslope for the first 2,000 feet. The runway is equipped with a Visual Approach Slope Indicator set to 3 degrees.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,707 hours in all; 1,030 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 1,231 as pilot in command; 850 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 22, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,669 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 12, 2002; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Long Beach Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: KLGB Long Beach CA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: KAVX Avalon CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,240 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,600 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from AVX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.