LAX97LA054
1996-11-27 · CHINO, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport CNO
N5854R has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES SPA P180, built 2000), which was not involved in this event.
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
the pilot's attempt to taxi with a crosswind component well in excess of the aircraft's maximum factory demonstrated capability. The wind conditions were factors.
Factual narrative
On November 27, 1996, at 1003 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172G, N5854R, was blown over by high winds while taxiing from landing at the Chino Airport, Chino, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot and was on a personal flight. No flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight originated from Corona, California, Municipal Airport at 0930. Prior to landing, the pilot was advised by the Chino Air Traffic Control Tower that the winds were from 060 at 30 knots, with higher gusts to 40 knots. He then landed on runway 8, turned left onto the perpendicular taxiway B, and began to taxi northbound to parking. In his written report, the pilot stated that after he contacted Chino ground he told them he was ". . . having trouble; ground aske[d] if I needed help, I said NO, 10 seconds later I was upside down." Based on the tower reported winds at the time, the computed aircraft crosswind component during the attempted taxi was 28 knots steady state with gusts to 38 knots. According to Cessna Aircraft, the maximum demonstrated crosswind capability of the aircraft is 17 knots. Prior to landing the pilot was advised by the local controller that the winds were from 060 at 30 knots, with higher gusts to 40 knots. He then landed on runway 8, turned left onto the perpendicular taxiway B, and began to taxi northbound to parking. In his written report, the pilot stated that after he contacted Chino ground he told them he was '...having trouble; ground aske[d] if I needed help, I said NO, 10 seconds later I was upside down.' Based on the tower reported winds at the time, the computed aircraft crosswind component during the attempted taxi was 28 knots steady state with gusts to 38 knots. According to Cessna Aircraft, the maximum demonstrated crosswind capability of the aircraft is 17 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1996_LAX97LA054.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Search this event elsewhere
External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.
- TallyAero Live Wire Aviation press
- NTSB CAROL Agency ↗
- NTSB Docket Agency ↗
- Aviation Safety Network Aviation press ↗
- Kathryn's Report Aviation press ↗
- Aviation Herald Aviation press ↗
- AVweb Aviation press ↗
- Pilots of America Community ↗
- Reddit /r/flying Community ↗
- FlightAware Aviation press ↗
- AOPA accident database Aviation press ↗
- Google News News ↗
- DuckDuckGo News ↗