Cessna 172P accident near Kingsburg, California, October 15, 1996
On October 15, 1996 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N6187K, was destroyed in an accident near Kingsburg, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's use of an excessively lean mixture, which led to engine overheating, detonation, subsequent failure of the number 2 piston, and a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1996 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Kingsburg, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N6187K · no longer on the register · serial 17274172
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As a student pilot was en route on his third supervised solo cross-country flight, the engine suddenly began running rough. Oil was observed to cover most of the front windscreen. Subsequently, the engine lost power, the student made a forced landing in a clearing, and the airplane collided with a tree and a building. An FAA inspector performed an examination of the wreckage, and observed a 2-inch diameter hole in the engine's upper case in the vicinity of the number 2 cylinder. A further examination revealed that the connecting rod to the number 2 piston was disconnected from the piston due to a failure of the piston skirt in the piston pin area. The rings on all pistons appeared to have been sticking, with over temperature signatures noted on all the intake and exhaust valves. The tops of the piston were abnormally clean. The engine had a total time of 3,794.5 hours since new and 1,987.0 hours since the last major overhaul.
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: student
- Flight time: 70 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,107 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 1996; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sierra Academy, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LVK Livermore CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: PTV Porterville CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.