Cessna 175 accident near Tracy, California, November 20, 1988
On November 20, 1988 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N6641E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tracy, California (Tracy airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- November 20, 1988 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tracy, California · Tracy · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N6641E · no longer on the register · serial 56141
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND NOSED OVER AND ABANDONED SHORT OF THE AIRPORT. THE OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE PILOT, HOWEVER, HE DOES NOT HOLD A PILOTS LICENSE NOR A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE FUEL TANKS WERE EXHAUSTED OF FUEL. THE PILOT LEFT THE ACCIDENT SITE IMMEDIATELY AND DID NOT FILE AN ACCIDENT REPORT.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,680 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from SCK, 16 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.