Cessna 172RG accident near Truckee, California, September 5, 1994
On September 5, 1994 at about 5:44 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N3745B, was destroyed in an accident near Truckee, California (Truckee Tahoe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO OBTAIN/MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED TO CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE GROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, IMPROPER TRIM SETTING FOR TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE'S EXCESSIVE GROSS WEIGHT, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE MAKE/MODEL OF AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1994 · about 5:44 pm local time
- Place
- Truckee, California · Truckee Tahoe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N3745B · registry record · serial 172RG0303
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT (PIC) AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE DEPARTING FROM THE MOUNTAIN AIRPORT AT A DENSITY ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 7542 FEET. THE PIC WAS A MILITARY PILOT WITH 288 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME, OF WHICH 144 HOURS WERE LOGGED AS HELICOPTER TIME. ABOUT FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE PIC WAS ISSUED AN FAA COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE BASED ON HIS MILITARY COMPETENCE. ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, HE HAD A CHECKOUT IN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE. BY THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, HE HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 11 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN THE CESSNA 172RG. THE AIRPLANE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 32 POUNDS OVER ITS MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT. GROUND WITNESSES SAW IT ROTATE AT MID-FIELD, ASSUME A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, AND REACH AN ESTIMATED 100 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. THEY REPORTED THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED PAST THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY WITHOUT GAINING ADDITIONAL ALTITUDE, WHERE IT ENTERED A LEFT TURN. THE AIRPLANE THEN ROLLED TO THE LEFT AND IMPACTED THE GROUND INVERTED. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB WAS AT 10 DEGREES TAB DOWN. NORMAL TAKEOFF ELEVATOR TRIM WAS ABOUT NEUTRAL OR ZERO DEGREES. NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE ACCIDENT, THOUGH THE PLANE WAS DAMAGED BY FIRE.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 288 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,347 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 2, 1994; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: El Toro Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: TRK Truckee Tahoe CA at 5:44 pm
- Destination: NZJ El Toro CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 6,400 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:40 pm from TRK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.