Cessna 172S accident near Bakersfield, California, August 29, 2007
On August 29, 2007 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N3544Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bakersfield, California (Meadows Field). 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll, which resulted in a collision with a taxiway sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2007 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bakersfield, California · Meadows Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N3544Z · registry record · serial 172S8999
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge approximately 45 minutes after the accident, the student pilot reported that after landing on Runway 30R the airplane started to veer to the left. The student pilot stated that he was trying to correct back to the right "...but the right wing went up and the airplane went off the left side of the runway." The student pilot reported that the right main landing gear failed and the airplane came to rest in an upright position about 30 feet off the runway. The student pilot stated that there was damage to the right wing tip, the right horizontal stabilizer and the right elevator. The student pilot said, "I just lost control of the airplane." In an interview with the IIC, the airport manager revealed that the airplane had impacted a taxiway sign. At 0854, the on airport automated weather facility reported wind from 170 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 30 degrees C, dew point 12 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.87 inches of Mercury.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAT Fresno CA
- Destination: BFL Bakersfield CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30R, 10,857 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from BFL
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 N3544Z 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.