Cessna 172S accident near El Cajon, California, December 14, 2007
On December 14, 2007 at about 10:21 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N567SP, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Cajon, California (Gillespie 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 excessive speed while turning off of the runway which resulted in a loss of aircraft control. The ditch was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 2007 · about 10:21 pm local time
- Place
- El Cajon, California · Gillespie 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
- N567SP · registry record · serial 172S8491
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that she was practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings during her second solo flight. She completed three uneventfully. On the fourth one, her approach speed was higher than normal. She landed the airplane and rolled out on the runway. When she attempted to turn onto a taxiway, the airplane was going too fast, and she taxied off of the runway and into a ditch. The outboard 2 feet of the left wing was curved upward, and the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were bent.
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: 56 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE El Cajon CA
- Destination: SEE El Cajon CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 5,342 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from KSEE
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.
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.