Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172 near Lynchburg, VA — 2017-09-16

Final reportGAA17CA540
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Date
2017-09-16
Location
Lynchburg, VA, USA
Airport
W24
Aircraft
CESSNA 172
Registration
N5396D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's unstabilized approach, which resulted in an aborted go-around, an aerodynamic stall, and a hard landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane approached with "extra speed" and ballooned in the landing flare. He added that, "instantly my training took over" and he applied power to go-around, but then also remembered he could not go around when landing in this direction, at this airport, due to terrain and obstacles. He further added that he then reduced power to idle and "stalled the airplane to the ground" and impacted the remining runway hard. Subsequently, he taxied the airplane to the ramp without further incident. The ailerons, wings, and firewall sustained substantial damage. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that he had flown into this airport numerous times prior to the accident and knew that, "once you get to the powerlines you are committed to landing." The power lines were located about ¼ nautical miles from the runway threshold. The pilot did not report that there were any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement for the airport stated in part: "Land Rwy [runway] 28 (west) tkf [takeoff] Rwy [runway] 10 (east)." The pilot reported that the landing was on runway 28.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted landing earlier when realizing extra speed.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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