Cessna 180 accident near Hollister, California, June 9, 1997
On June 9, 1997 at about 1:35 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N3343D, was destroyed in an accident near Hollister, California (Frazier Lake Airpark 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 improper use of the elevator and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go landing. A factor in the accident was the pilot's application of full power following the loss of directional control, which increased the turning moment already generated by the initial swerve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 1997 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Hollister, California · Frazier Lake Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N3343D · no longer on the register · serial 32141
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was destroyed by fire following a ground loop during a touch-and-go landing. The pilot stated that he did not place the elevator in the full up position after landing, which he felt reduced directional response to both the aerodynamic rudder and the steerable tail wheel. When the aircraft began to veer to the left, he added full power in an attempt to go around, which torqued the aircraft into a fully developed ground loop. During the ground loop, the right wingtip contacted the ground which caused the wing fuel tank to start leaking. The fuel was subsequently ignited and the fire consumed the 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: 273 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 110 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,104 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 1997; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 15 knots, gusting 3
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N3343D 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.