Cessna 172P accident near Long Beach, California, September 8, 2009
On September 8, 2009 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N51594, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Long Beach, California (Long Beach Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a parked vehicle during taxi.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2009 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Long Beach, California · Long Beach Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N51594 · registry record · serial 17274326
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While taxing at night from a parking area to runway 30 for takeoff, the commercial pilot inadvertently departed the taxiway and entered onto a service road. While trying to re-enter the taxiway from the service road the left wing tip struck a parked van. The airplane then pivoted around and struck a storage container. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Ground collision during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,557 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 1,426 as pilot in command; 1,212 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 17, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,731 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 2009; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Candace A. Lamed Enterprise, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA
- Destination: LGB Long Beach CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from LGB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.