Cessna 172N accident near Lancaster, California, November 14, 1998
On November 14, 1998 at about 6:32 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lancaster, California (General Fox Airfield). It was an instructional 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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1998 · about 6:32 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, California · General Fox Airfield
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733AM · registry record · serial 17268145
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot lost control and veered off the runway to the left during the takeoff roll. He attempted to abort the takeoff by reducing power and applying brakes, but the aircraft continued off the runway into the scrub brush. The nose gear impacted a berm and the aircraft nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airport weather observation was reporting calm wind conditions at the time of the accident. The flight instructor who flew the aircraft right before the accident reported that he had not noted any discrepancies with the aircraft, nor were any found during the subsequent postaccident examination. The accident flight was the student pilot's second supervised solo flight.
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: 17 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,726 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 21, 1998; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,489 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WHP Pacoima CA at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:24 pm from WJF
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 N733AM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX99LA031.