Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172M near Hobart, IN — 2017-01-06

Final reportCEN17LA082
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Date
2017-01-06
Location
Hobart, IN, USA
Airport
3HO
Aircraft
CESSNA 172M
Registration
N80374
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to abort the landing when he recognized the airplane was traveling too fast, which resulted in impact with trees off the end of the runway.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was landing to the south after his personal flight. He stated that, during the landing, the airplane's ground speed "picked up," and he thought he had a tailwind. The airport owner thought the airplane was traveling at a high speed on approach. The pilot stated that he chose to land, and, as the airplane touched down, it "skipped" off the runway. The airplane then crashed into a wooded area off the departure end of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, engine, and fuselage. The pilot could not recall what happened between the time the airplane "skipped" off the runway and when emergency personnel arrived. The engine throttle and fuel/air mixture controls were found in the full forward position, and the carburetor heat knob was found in the ON position. The flaps were retracted. The airplane appeared to be partially configured for a go-around; however, the pilot should have aborted the landing when he realized the airplane was traveling too fast.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted landing when realizing high groundspeed and tailwind.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents5

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