Cessna 172RG accident near Calistoga, California, October 4, 1987
On October 4, 1987 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5234U, was destroyed in an accident near Calistoga, California (Calistoga Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured. 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
- October 4, 1987 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Calistoga, California · Calistoga Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5234U · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0292
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
UPON ARRIVING OVER THE DESTINATION ARPT THE PLT USED AN INCORRECT CTAF FREQUENCY TO CONTACT THE ARPT AND HE USED A RIGHT HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN APPROACHING THE 2600 FOOT-LONG RWY. BECAUSE A RESIDENTIAL AREA LAY WEST OF THE ARPT & OPEN FIELDS LAY TO THE EAST, ALL LANDINGS ARE TO BE PERFORMED FROM OVER THE FIELDS--EVEN WHEN TAILWINDS ARE PRESENT. ON THIS OCCASION A 5 TO 15 KT TAILWIND EXISTED. THE PLT TOUCHED DOWN LONG & DELAYED IN GOING AROUND. THE PLT REMOVED FLAPS BEFORE ADDING ENGINE PWR & THE ACFT BARELY BECAME AIRBORNE BY THE END OF THE RWY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NEAR MAX GROSS WEIGHT. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB WITH AN EXCESSIVELY HIGH NOSE PITCH ATTITUDE. THE ACFT TRAVELLED FOR 1350 FT, STALLED, ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT, AND CRASHED INTO THE BACKYARD OF A RESIDENCE.
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: airline transport pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,514 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,611 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1987; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0O5 Davis CA at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28L, 2,600 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 15 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.