Cessna 195 accident near Porterville, California, September 15, 1986
On September 15, 1986 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N3879V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Porterville, California (Porterville Muni airport). It was an executive or corporate 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 1986 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Porterville, California · Porterville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N3879V · no longer on the register · serial 7347
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A NORMAL LANDING THE PILOT SAID HE BEGAN TO APPLY MODERATE BRAKE PRESSURE TO MAKE THE MID-FIELD TAXIWAY TURN OFF AND FELT WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS 'A LIGHT JERK IN THE LEFT GEAR' FOLLOWED BY A 'SNAPPING SOUND WHICH OCCURRED TWO OR THREE TIMES.' THE PILOT THEN SAID THE LEFT BRAKE FAILED COMPLETELY AND THE 'AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND ENTERED A GROUND LOOP.' EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT BRAKE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT BRAKE DISC DRIVE KEY RETAINING SCREW FAILED, WHICH ALLOWED THE KEY TO FLOAT LOOSE IN THE BRAKE HOUSING. THE MECHANIC WHO EXAMINED THE BRAKE SYSTEM STATED THAT THE LOOSE KEY 'BROKE OUT THE LOWER PART OF THE HOUSING ALLOWING THE BRAKE LINING TO FALL OUT.'
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,683 hours in all; 3,559 in this make and model; 136 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 8,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,910 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 1986; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755A-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,000 ft by 146 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from BFL, 36 miles away
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 N3879V 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.