Cessna 172R accident near Redding, California, September 27, 2023
On September 27, 2023 at about 6:15 pm local time, a 1998 Cessna 172R, registered N17274, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Redding, California (Redding Muni airport). 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 loss of airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in a bounced landing and impact with the airport’s windsock.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2023 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Redding, California · Redding Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R, built 1998 · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N17274 · registry record · serial 17280353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot of the airplane reported that shortly after rotation, the airplane began to drift to the left of runway centerline. He tried/attempted to correct back to runway centerline, but the airplane continued to drift left. The airplane descended and landed hard. It bounced back into the air and impacted the windsock. The airplane came to rest upright inside the windsocks segmented circle. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, aft fuselage, right horizontal stabilizer, and right elevator. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Heading/course › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,922.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,457 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 5,531 hours total
- Operator: Iasco Flight Training INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 7,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KRDD
Weather report (METAR): KRDD 271753Z 34006KT 10SM SCT060 BKN100 23/09 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP178 T02280094 10228 20111 57004
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 7, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Phone Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.