Cessna 172R accident near Ramona, California, November 13, 2005
On November 13, 2005 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N23899, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ramona, California (Ramona airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 2005 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ramona, California · Ramona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N23899 · no longer on the register · serial 17280992
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane veered off the runway and collided with a dirt bank during a touch-and-go. The student pilot was on his first supervised solo, and was the only occupant in the airplane. The entire flight was uneventful until touchdown. The main landing gear of the airplane touched down first, followed by the nose gear. After the nose landing gear touched down, the student pilot noted a vibration and continued the touch-and-go. After he raised the flaps the vibration intensity increased and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. The student's instructor witnessed the entire flight and he reported that everything was normal until the airplane suddenly veered left off the runway and hit a berm. He also stated that the dual instructional flight leading up to the student's solo was completely normal, with no mechanical abnormalities noted with the airplane. The nose landing gear was sheared off
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 26 hours in all; 26 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,249.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2005; 19.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pinnacle Aviation Academy
The flight
- Departed from: RNM Ramona CA at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from RNM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N23899 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.