Cessna 172G accident near Trinity Center, California, August 4, 1990
On August 4, 1990 at about 7:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N4205L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trinity Center, California (Trinity Center airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED AND HIS FAILURE TO TOUCHDOWN AT THE PROPER LOCATION ON THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1990 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Trinity Center, California · Trinity Center · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4205L · registry record · serial 17254274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WIND SOCKS AT THE DESTINATION (UNCONTROLLED) AIRPORT WERE POINTING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. THE PILOT LANDED ON THE 3,200-FOOT-LONG RUNWAY, OVERRAN ITS DEPARTURE END, COLLIDED WITH A DITCH AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT WROTE IN HIS 'ACCIDENT REPORT FORM' THAT HE 'CAME IN TOO HIGH & FAST,' AND THAT HE SHOULD HAVE MADE A GO-AROUND.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,148 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CIC Chico CA at 7:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°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.