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19970425006659A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Cessna 172P · San Jose, CA · April 25, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 25, 1997 · 13:42 local
Place
San Jose, CA
Airport
San Jose International
Phase of flight
Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N63754
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX97LA167
Reported as
Cessna 172P
Reported engine
Lycoming O320D2J
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
18 total18 in this make and model18 in the last 90 days
N63754Registration cancelled May 9, 1998 · Cessna 172PS/N 17275478Airframe modelCessna 172P

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Solo flight, lost control attempting go around, left wing hit ground, cartwheeled follow a stall. Retracted flaps. (.4)the accident occurred during the student's first supervised solo flight, which was observed by the student's certified flight instructor. The student's first two attempted landings terminated in go-arounds. During the next two approaches the student performed touch-and-go's, and the fifth approach terminated with another go-around. The accident occurred during the following attempted landing. The student made a hard bounced touchdown, ballooned 50 to 75 feet into the air and attempted to initiate a go-around. The student reduced the wing flap setting, increased the angle of attack, and the airplane stalled and rolled into a steep left bank and descended until contacting the ground. Thereafter, it cartwheeled and came to rest in a nose down attitude in an open field near the control tower. The student indicated that he should not have retracted the wing flaps so quickly while initiating the go-around.

As the FAA filed it

SOLO FLIGHT, LOST CONTROL ATTEMPTING GO AROUND, LEFT WING HIT GROUND, CARTWHEELED FOLLOW A STALL. RETRACTED FLAPS. (.4)THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE STUDENT'S FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO FLIGHT, WHICH WAS OBSERVED BY THE STUDENT'S CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. THE STUDENT'S FIRST TWO ATTEMPTED LANDINGS TERMINATED IN GO-AROUNDS. DURING THE NEXT TWO APPROACHES THE STUDENT PERFORMED TOUCH-AND-GO'S, AND THE FIFTH APPROACH TERMINATED WITH ANOTHER GO-AROUND. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE FOLLOWING ATTEMPTED LANDING. THE STUDENT MADE A HARD BOUNCED TOUCHDOWN, BALLOONED 50 TO 75 FEET INTO THE AIR AND ATTEMPTED TO INITIATE A GO-AROUND. THE STUDENT REDUCED THE WING FLAP SETTING, INCREASED THE ANGLE OF ATTACK, AND THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND ROLLED INTO A STEEP LEFT BANK AND DESCENDED UNTIL CONTACTING THE GROUND. THEREAFTER, IT CARTWHEELED AND CAME TO REST IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE IN AN OPEN FIELD NEAR THE CONTROL TOWER. THE STUDENT INDICATED THAT HE SHOULD NOT HAVE RETRACTED THE WING FLAPS SO QUICKLY WHILE INITIATING THE GO-AROUND.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX97LA167Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSan Jose, CAThe student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to preclude stalling following an improper recovery from a bounced landing. Contributing factors were the pilot's premature and excessive flap retraction and misjudged landing flare.Apr 25, 1997 · Destroyed