Cessna 172N accident near Auburn, California, August 29, 1996
On August 29, 1996 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N9315E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Auburn, California (Auburn Municipal airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudged landing flare and improper bounced landing recovery. A contributing factor was his lack of recent flying experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1996 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Auburn, California · Auburn Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N9315E · registry record · serial 17272221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, at the conclusion of his 2.5-hour-long flight he entered the traffic pattern and observed that the airplane was slightly high. On final approach, he believed that the airplane was slightly low, so he reduced the landing flaps to the 10-degree setting. He then realized that he had misjudged his altitude and was, in fact, high. The pilot further reported that he misjudged the airplane's rate of descent, which he characterized as excessive, and the airplane touched down hard on the runway. Thereafter, the airplane bounced, recontacted the runway, bounced again, and came to rest with a collapsed nose gear strut and bent firewall. The pilot had received a biennial flight review the morning of the accident flight. Prior to the BFR, he had not flown an airplane in 2 years.
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: 160 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,056 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LPC Lompoc CA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: AUN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.