Cessna 172P accident near Redlands, California, February 21, 1995
On February 21, 1995, a Cessna 172P, registered N51920, was substantially damaged in an accident near Redlands, California (Redlands Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's use of an excessive approach speed and glidepath angle and his improper bounced landing recovery technique.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 1995
- Place
- Redlands, California · Redlands Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N51920 · registry record · serial 17274377
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
GROUND WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT ON FINAL FOR RUNWAY 26 AND SAID IT WAS HIGH AND FAST. ABOUT MIDFIELD, THE PILOT DOVE THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED ON THE NOSE GEAR, ENTERED A PORPOISE, AND EVENTUALLY COLLAPSED THE NOSE GEAR STRUT.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 132 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 78 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,522 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 22, 1994; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-ACJ (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Redlands Aviation Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: SBP San Luis Obispo CA at 10:10 pm
- Destination: L12
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 26, 4,505 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N51920 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.