Cessna 172N accident near Atwater, California, November 17, 2007
On November 17, 2007 at about 10:14 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N3318E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atwater, California (Castle Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors contributing to the accident included the sign and the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2007 · about 10:14 pm local time
- Place
- Atwater, California · Castle Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N3318E · registry record · serial 17271502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was the student pilot's first supervised solo. After making his second landing and during the landing roll, the airplane began to veer to the left. An attempt to correct back to the right was unsuccessful, which was followed by the airplane continuing to the left and impacting a runway sign. The airplane continued northwest-bound before impacting a drainage ditch approximately 250 feet from the edge of the runway. The aircraft subsequently turned eastbound and crossed the drainage ditch a second time, which resulted in the collapse of the right main landing gear. The airplane came to rest in an upright position with its tail section in the drainage ditch and its right wing tip laying on the ground. The airplane's right wing sustained substantial damage.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 23 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MER Atwater CA
- Destination: MER Atwater CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 11,802 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 1:47 pm from MER
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 N3318E 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.