Cessna 172P accident near Sacramento, California, January 22, 1991
On January 22, 1991 at about 3:36 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N96306, was destroyed in an accident near Sacramento, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FLIGHT'S INADVERTANT ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 1991 · about 3:36 am local time
- Place
- Sacramento, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N96306 · no longer on the register · serial 17276055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT SITE IS ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTH OF THE SACRAMENTO AIRPORT NEAR THE EXTENDED CENTERLINE FOR RUNWAY 34L. THE TRACON TRACKED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AS IT PENETRATED THE ARSA AT 1300 FEET MSL ON A NW BOUND HEADING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO TURN WEST BOUND AS IT DESCENDED TO 800 FT MSL AND CROSS THE EXTENDED RUNWAY CENTER LINE BEHIND AN ARRIVING AMERICAN AIRLINES MD80. THE CESSNA WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR TO CROSS THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE MD80 1 MILE BEHIND AND 100 FT LOWER THAN THE TRANSPORT BEFORE IT ABRUPTLY DISAPPEARED FROM THE RADAR. CONTROLLERS ON DUTY IN THE ATCT SAID THEY SAW THE LIGHTS OF THE CESSNA PASS BEHIND AND JUST BELOW THE MD80, THEN IT ABRUPTLY DESCENDED TOWARD THE GROUND.
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: commercial pilot, foreign licence
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 470 hours in all; 240 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 187 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Patterson Aircraft CO.
The flight
- Destination: RBL Red Bluff CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:46 am from SMF, 3 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.