Cessna 172S accident near Coalinga, California, February 2, 2005
On February 2, 2005 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N521JD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coalinga, California (Harris Ranch 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 recovery from a bounced landing, and his failure to abort the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 2, 2005 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Coalinga, California · Harris Ranch Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N521JD · registry record · serial 172S8027
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane encountered soft soil and nosed over during a landing overrun. The pilot said he touched down beyond the threshold and the airplane bounced once. By the time the pilot had recovered from the bounce and the airplane was in the landing rollout, the pilot determined that insufficient runway remained to stop the airplane. He elected not to perform an aborted landing due to the short runway and continued braking efforts. The airplane overran the end of the runway and the nose landing gear encountered soft dirt. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
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
- Flight time: 200 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L45 Bakersfield CA
- Destination: 3O8 Coalinga CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,820 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.
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.