Cessna 172P accident near Fullerton, California, March 30, 1996
On March 30, 1996 at about 8:02 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N9964L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fullerton, California (Fullerton Muni airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's inadequate compensation for the encounter with wake turbulence from a preceding small aircraft, and his improper bounced landing recovery technique.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1996 · about 8:02 pm local time
- Place
- Fullerton, California · Fullerton Muni
- 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
- N9964L · registry record · serial 17276652
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student reported that he was practicing full-stop landings on runway 24. The student stated his belief that on short final approach the aircraft encountered a wind gust in the landing flare which yawed the nose of the airplane to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the yaw with control inputs and the aircraft hit the runway hard and bounced toward the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted a rejected landing maneuver by adding full power; however, the left wing tip contacted the ground and the aircraft crashed in the median between the runway and taxiway. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the aircraft. A weather observation taken immediately after the accident by the air traffic control tower reported winds from 250 degrees at 4 knots.
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
- VORTEX TURBULENCE ENCOUNTERED during landing - flare/touchdown
- LOSS OF CONTROL - IN FLIGHT during landing - flare/touchdown
- HARD LANDING during landing - flare/touchdown
- IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN/WATER during go-around (vfr)
Pilot
- Ratings: none, none, none, none
- Flight time: 86 hours in all; 86 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 25 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,233 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, January 16, 1995; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: General Aviation Company, INC.
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: FUL at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,121 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scattered at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°C, dew point 39°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 8:09 pm from FUL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9964L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 LAX96LA148.