Pilot Debrief

Cessna 182 near Marion, IN — 2019-05-05

Final reportGAA19CA246
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Date
2019-05-05
Location
Marion, IN, USA
Airport
MZZ
Aircraft
Cessna 182
Registration
N96974
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's improper trim setting and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane landed hard and bounced. He decided to go around, so he added full power, but the nose pitched up sharply. He added that he attempted to lower the nose, but the airspeed decreased, and the airplane "lost lift on [the] right side." He pushed forward on the control yoke, but the airplane drifted right, the right wing aerodynamically stalled, and the airplane impacted the ground next to a taxiway and spun around. A passenger saw a fire in front of the firewall, and all occupants exited the airplane. The airplane was destroyed by postaccident fire. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the pilot stated he used nose-up trim during the approach. The pilot also stated that, during the go-around, he attempted to use the electric trim to trim nose down. When the airplane nosed up, the pilot attempted to lower the nose but hesitated due to the airplane being near the ground, and he retracted the flaps. The FAA inspector examined the airplane and found that the trim setting was "just short of full nose up trim."

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have maintained control during go around instead of retracting flaps.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents3

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