Cessna 120 accident near Fresno, California, June 7, 1987
On June 7, 1987 at about 5:50 am local time, a Cessna 120, registered N76546, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fresno, California (Sierra Sky Park airport). It was a personal 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
- June 7, 1987 · about 5:50 am local time
- Place
- Fresno, California · Sierra Sky Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N76546 · registry record · serial 10982
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A CESSNA 120 LANDED LEFT OF THE RUNWAY ON A ROUGH DIRT AREA AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT THE AIRPORT IS NOT LIGHTED. THE RUNWAY IS EQUIPPED WITH WHITE REFLECTORS AND THE TAXIWAYS ARE EQUIPPED WITH AMBER REFLECTORS. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENCE IN THE COLORED REFLECTORS WHILE IN FLIGHT. THE PILOT ALIGNED THE AIRCRAFT WITH AMBER PARALLEL TAXIWAY REFLECTORS ON THE LEFT AND WHITE RUNWAY REFLECTORS ON THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON A PERPENDICULAR TAXIWAY JUST PAST AMBER REFLECTORS WHICH APPEARED TO BE RUNWAY END MARKINGS. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED OUT ACROSS THE PERPENDICULAR TAXIWAY AND NOSED OVER IN THE ROUGH DIRT AREA BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 860 hours in all; 860 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 820 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,278 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 5, 1986; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCE Merced CA at 5:00 am
- Destination: Q60 Fresno CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,920 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from FAT, 10 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.
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.