Cessna 172F accident near Long Beach, California, September 21, 1998
On September 21, 1998 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8761U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Long Beach, California (Daugherty Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudging the flare point and failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin, which resulted in a stall/mush and hard landing. A contributing factor was the dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1998 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Long Beach, California · Daugherty Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8761U · registry record · serial 17252665
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot entered the landing pattern under night conditions and everything was normal until he flared for touchdown. He believed he had flared high and added power to help control the descent rate. He then reduced power. The nose dropped and the propeller, nose gear, left main landing gear, and left wing tip struck the pavement almost simultaneously. The aircraft bounced and struck the ground with the right wing tip before coming to rest on the runway.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 887 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 827 as pilot in command; 474 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,594 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 29, 1997; 145 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOA Torrance CA at 4:00 am
- Destination: LGB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25L, 5,420 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,900 ft; ovct at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 am from LGB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.