Cessna T337G accident near Fullerton, California, October 18, 1992
On October 18, 1992 at about 6:07 pm local time, a Cessna T337G, registered N9SQ, was destroyed in an accident near Fullerton, California (Fullerton Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING A CIRCLE TO LAND MANEUVER IN REDUCED VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS HIS DISTRACTION WHILE RECONFIGURING THE AIRCRAFT FOR A GO AROUND WHICH LED TO AN INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO A STEEP DESCENDING TURN AT LOW ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 1992 · about 6:07 pm local time
- Place
- Fullerton, California · Fullerton Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T337G · all T337Gs on the register
- Registration
- N9SQ · no longer on the register · serial P337 0256
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND HIS SON DEPARTED ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN 38 DAYS AFTER OBTAINING HIS INSTRUMENT RATING, IN A RECENTLY PURCHASED AIRPLANE. THE PILOT COMPLETED A LOCALIZER APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24. GROUND WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS HIGH ON FINAL, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE WITNESSES REPORTING THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS 500 FEET AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REQUESTED A CIRCLE TO LAND, WHICH WAS APPROVED BY THE TOWER. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE OVERFLEW THE 3121 FOOT RUNWAY AT ABOUT 100 TO 200 FEET AGL, AND, AT THE DEPARTURE END, APPLIED FULL POWER. THE WITNESSES REPORTED THAT AT ABOUT 500 FEET PAST THE RUNWAY END, THE PILOT STARTED A LEFT TURN WITH A BANK ANGLE ESTIMATED AT ABOUT 30 TO 45 DEGREES, THEN LEVELED OUT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ENTERED A STEEP LEFT TURN OF ABOUT 80 DEGREES OF BANK WHILE DESCENDING. DURING THE FINAL TURN, THE WITNESSES SAW THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTING. POST CRASH EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE WING FLAPS WERE IN TRANSIT AT THE TIME OF IMPACT.
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: 369 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 249 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 4,465 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO 360 CB6B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRY Monterey CA at 4:21 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 3,121 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:10 pm from FUL, 1 miles away
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.