Cessna 182 accident near Zenia, California, September 21, 1989
On September 21, 1989, a Cessna 182, registered N8579M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zenia, California (Shannon airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO REALIZE THAT THE FLAPS DID NOT EXTEND, WHICH RESULTED IN EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED. THE SEIZED FLAP ACTUATOR WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1989
- Place
- Zenia, California · Shannon
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N8579M · no longer on the register · serial 18264633
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE VFR FLIGHT, CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR 135, WAS ROUTINE UNTIL ARRIVING AT SHANNON AIRPORT. AFTER CIRCLING THE ARPT, THE PILOT EXECUTED TWO GO-AROUNDS, BECAUSE HE HAD NOT SLOWED THE AIRPLANE SUFFICIENTLY. HE STATED THAT HE LANDED ON THE THIRD APPROACH, BUT THE AIRPLANE'S AIRSPEED WAS TOO HIGH. REALIZING THAT HE WAS GOING TO OVERSHOOT THE END OF THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY GROUND LOOPED THE AIRPLANE. THIS CAUSED IT TO EXIT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDE WITH A FENCE. A POST-ACDNT EXAM DISCLOSED THAT THE FLAP ACTUATOR JACKSCREW HAD SEIZED IN THE UP POSITION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 960 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 920 as pilot in command; 130 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,009 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 25, 1989; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Comstock Air Services
The flight
- Departed from: SMF Sacramento CA at 11:20 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 2,520 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N8579M 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.