Cessna 172L accident near El Monte, California, October 7, 2024
On October 7, 2024 at about 3:39 am local time, a 1971 Cessna 172L, registered N7869G, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near El Monte, California (San Gabriel Valley Airport). It was a personal 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
A total loss of engine power due to contaminated fuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2024 · about 3:39 am local time
- Place
- El Monte, California · San Gabriel Valley Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L, built 1971 · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7869G · registry record · serial 17259569
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a night cross-country flight when, about 35 miles from the destination airport, the engine lost total power. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport but overshot the runway during the forced landing and impacted a drainage culvert parallel to the runway as well as a fence, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and left-wing spar. A combination of blue-colored fuel, consistent with 100LL aviation fuel, and yellow-colored fuel, consistent in odor and color with fouled automotive fuel, was recovered from the airplane’s fuel tanks. Samples from both fuels tested negative for water contamination. Continuity of the fuel system was established from the main fuel tanks to the carburetor. An external fuel tank was attached to the fuel supply line, and the engine was subsequently started and operated through various power settings for about five minutes with no anomalies. Although the airplane was equipped with a supplemental type certificate that permitted the use of automotive fuel, the owner stated that he only used aviation fuel. It is likely that some of the fouled fuel entered the fuel delivery system and did not support combustion, which resulted in a total loss of engine power; however, the source of the automotive fuel could not be determined. The pilot refueled the airplane with 100LL aviation fuel before departing on the flight, and the manager from that airport reported no anomalies with the fuel supply or delivery system. The pilot did not provide any information regarding his preflight inspection of the airplane before departure.
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
- Fuel contamination during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Inadequate inspection
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 118 hours in all; 118 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 10, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,105 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 12, 2024; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFL Bakersfield CA at 2:32 am
- Destination: CNO Chino CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1/19, 3,995 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from KEMT
Weather report (METAR): KEMT 070245Z 23003KT 10SM CLR 22/16 A2989
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – N7869G at accident site
Photograph 2 – Substantial damage to the left-wing spar
Photograph 3 – Left- and right-wing fuel samples showing contaminationThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on December 10, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Emailed Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Interview with the Airplane Owner | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Fuel Receipt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Cessna 172L Pilot's Operating Handbook Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | ADS-B Kml Data | map file | Download |
| 7 | ADS-B Excel Data | spreadsheet | Download |
| 8 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 9 | Video File of Airplane Over Airport | MOV file | Download |
| 10 | Fuel System Illustration | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Email Fuel Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Airframe and Engine Examination Report | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 13 | FAA Form 337 for Automotive Fuel STC | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 14 | Email from Mod Regarding Fuel Quality Checks | 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.