Cessna 172N accident near Avalon, California, June 16, 1996
On June 16, 1996 at about 10:02 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6261D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avalon, California (Catalina airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to initiate a landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and porpoise, and his loss of directional control during an attempt to initiate a go-around with insufficient airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush and collision with parked aircraft. A visual illusion created by the runway gradient was a factor in this accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1996 · about 10:02 pm local time
- Place
- Avalon, California · Catalina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6261D · registry record · serial 17272672
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Ground witnesses stated that the pilot did not flare and the aircraft touched down hard on the nose wheel and porpoised twice. On the second bounce the aircraft veered off the runway and toward a line of parked aircraft. The pilot attempted to recover by adding power; however, the aircraft stalled, impacted the ground, and collided with three parked aircraft.
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
- Flight time: 111 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,465 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1996; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 9:20 pm
- Destination: AVX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,240 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:00 pm from AVX
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.