Cessna 172RG accident near Van Nuys, California, December 30, 1997
On December 30, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5404V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Van Nuys, California (Van Nuys airport). It was an instructional 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 student and flight instructor's failure to verify that the landing gear was in the down position, and the design of the electrical system in which a single-point aircraft system malfunction (one open circuit breaker) disabled both the landing gear warning system and the main gear downlock switches.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Van Nuys, California · Van Nuys · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5404V · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0522
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that the student pilot had extended the landing gear on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, but then retracted it after being told to go around by the control tower. On the second downwind leg, the student again placed the gear switch in the down position; however, neither the student nor the instructor visually verified that the gear was down and locked. During the final flare for landing, the instructor noted that the gear was not down and that the 5 amp gear warning circuit breaker had opened. He then closed the circuit breaker and noted the gear starting to extend, but it had achieved only an intermediate position at the time of touchdown. The airplane subsequently settled on to the runway and incurred damage to the underside, the right wing, and the right horizontal stabilizer. A review of the Cessna 172RG Service Manual, Drawing No. 2471000, 'Wiring Diagram-Landing Gear System' indicated that subject circuit breaker, in addition to providing power to the gear indicator lights and warning horn, also powers the main gear downlock switches and the stall warning horn.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,619 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 11, 1997; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 pm from VNY, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N5404V 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.