Cessna 172N accident near Petaluma, California, October 22, 1988
On October 22, 1988 at about 3:11 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N9372E, was destroyed in an accident near Petaluma, California (Petaluma Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT USED POOR JUDGEMENT WHEN HE ATTEMPTED V.F.R. FLIGHT DURING INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND THAT HE ENCOUNTERED SPATIAL DISORIENTATION WHEN HE ENTERED INTO THE CLOUDS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 1988 · about 3:11 am local time
- Place
- Petaluma, California · Petaluma Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N9372E · no longer on the register · serial 17272241
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOLD HIS BROTHER THAT HE WAS GOING TO PRACTICE NIGHT TAKEOFFS & LANDINGS. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN, RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE. IMPACT OCCURRED ABOUT 1/2 MI NORTHWEST OF THE ARPT. NO PRE- IMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND. WITNESSES RPRTD THE WX WAS FOGGY WITH A LOW CEILING. ONE WITNESS ESTIMATED A 200 TO 300 FT CEILING WITH 1/4 MI VISIBILITY. ANOTHER WITNESS RPRTD THE VISIBILITY WAS LESS THAN 1/2 MI. APRX 20 MI NORTHWEST AT SANTA ROSA, THE 1945 PDT WX WAS IN PART: 2500 FT SCATTERED, VISIBILITY 10 MI. THE THE NON-INSTRUMENT PLT HAD ONLY ABOUT 2 HRS OF SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLT TIME.
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: 147 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,490 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 7, 1988; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aeroventure Clubs, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: O69 at 3:11 am
- Destination: O69
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.