Pilot Debrief

Cessna 172N near Sells, AZ — 2008-05-26

Final reportLAX08CA155
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Date
2008-05-26
Location
Sells, AZ, USA
Airport
E78
Aircraft
Cessna 172N
Registration
N2857E
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing and failure to maintain proper runway alignment.

NTSB narrative

After two touch-and-go landings at another airport, the pilot flew to Sells to perform one more touch-and-go landing. While flying over the airport to observe the runway, he thought he saw a windsock at the end of the runway, but later realized there was no windsock. He assumed the wind was calm, and made an approach to runway 4. The aircraft was too high and fast, so the pilot executed a go-around and approached again. This approach was also slightly high and fast, but he believed he could still land. The aircraft landed hard and bounced. The pilot decided to execute another go-around, and applied full power. The aircraft began drifting to the left, and the left wing tip struck a mesquite tree. The aircraft spun to the left, impacted more trees, and came to an abrupt stop. The pilot did not notice any strong wind at the time, but believes he may have had a slight tailwind. The observed wind at the closest observation station was variable at 4 knots. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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