Cessna 172M accident near Groveland, California, March 30, 1990
On March 30, 1990 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N13685, was substantially damaged in an accident near Groveland, California (Pine Mountain Lake airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IMPROPERLY USED THE FLIGHT CONTROLS DURING THE LANDING ROLL-OUT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1990 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Groveland, California · Pine Mountain Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N13685 · registry record · serial 17262942
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PRACTICING TOUCH AND GO TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS ON RUNWAY 27. DURING THE FOURTH LANDING ROLL-OUT, THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY RAISED THE LEFT WING AND LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE ACFT EXITED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, AND COLLIDED WITH A DITCH. THE SURFACE WINDS WERE LIGHT FROM THE NORTH.
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: student
- Flight time: 57 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,375 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,663 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 2 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX90LA131.