Cessna 172F accident near Arlington, California, April 17, 1994
On April 17, 1994 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5709R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arlington, California. It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TO PROPERLY SUPERVISE THE STUDENT PILOT AND PERFORM THE APPROPRIATE REMEDIAL ACTION BEFORE THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO AN ALTITUDE TOO LOW FOR RECOVERY. FACTORS WERE THE STUDENT PILOT'S HANDLING OF THE AIRPLANE WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1994 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5709R · registry record · serial 17253366
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT INADVERTENTLY STALLED THE AIRPLANE ABOUT FIFTY FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHILE PRACTICING SIMULATED FORCED LANDINGS. THE MANEUVER WAS SUPERVISED BY A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR(CFI). THE SIMULATED FORCED LANDING WAS INITIATED ABOUT 2,000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS PERFORMING THE MANEUVER INCORRECTLY BY HOLDING THE NOSE UP DURING THE GLIDE. THE CFI TOLD THE STUDENT PILOT TO ADD POWER. THE STUDENT PILOT FROZE ON THE CONTROLS. THE CFI ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO CONTINUE ITS DESCENT WHILE TELLING THE STUDENT PILOT A SECOND TIME TO ADD POWER. BY THE TIME THE STUDENT PILOT ADDED FULL POWER THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT FIFTY FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE STALLED, DESCENDED UNCONTROLLED, LANDED HARD AND NOSED OVER IN UNEVEN TERRAIN.
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
What happened, in order
- LOSS OF CONTROL - IN FLIGHT during maneuvering - turn to landing area (emergency)
- HARD LANDING during descent - uncontrolled
- NOSE OVER during landing - flare/touchdown
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, ASE, APLN, none
- Flight time: 453 hours in all; 217 in this make and model; 117 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days; 374 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,604 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, July 3, 1993; 296 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Paradise Aviation
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: L66 Corona CA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°C, dew point 0°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 7:46 pm from RAL, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 LAX94LA192.