Cessna 172C accident near Thermal, California, March 14, 2004
On March 14, 2004 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N8287X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Thermal, California (Mckeever Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to retract the flaps during the go-around and his failure to obtain and maintain sufficient airspeed, which led to a stall mush condition. High density altitude was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 2004 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Thermal, California · Mckeever Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8287X · registry record · serial 17248787
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane settled into brush and hit terrain during a go-around. The pilot had successfully completed landings to his private dirt strip prior to the accident. On final approach with 20 degrees of flaps, he noted that the airplane was higher than normal. About 700 feet down the runway, the wheels touched down on the soft dirt. He aborted the landing instead of applying heavy brake pressure. Without retracting the flaps, he climbed to about 100 feet and made a turn to the left. The airplane began to lose altitude and he continued his turn to the left. After completing a 180-degree turn, he leveled out the airplane and lowered the nose, in an effort to regain airspeed. The sink rate continued, and the main landing gear encountered high brush. He thought that the high density altitude was the reason the airplane could not produce enough power to climb. He reported the temperature to be about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 645 hours in all; 605 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L64 Desert Center CA
- Destination: Thermal CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N8287X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.