# Accident 19980329004529A: Cessna 172P, Plainville, CT, March 29, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 29, 1998, 11:20 local time
- Place: Plainville, CT
- Airport: Robertson Field Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.6893° N, 72.8647° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ROBERTSON FLD (4B8), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6893&lon=-72.8647&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9821L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9821L-2000-07-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172P (registry code 2072436, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P
- Reported engine: LYC O320D2J
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 158 total, 102 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98LA082](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA082) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980329004529A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON MARCH 29, 1998, AT 1120 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 172P, N9821L WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A CROSSWIND LANDING TO RUNWAY 02 AT ROBERTSON FIELD AIRPORT (4B8), PLANIVILLE, CONNECTICUT. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED FROM NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, APPROXIMATELY 1025. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT; UPON REACHING 4B8, HE DID A MIDFIELD FLY OVER TO ESTABLISH THE WINDS. THE WINDS WERE DETERMINED TO BE A DIRECT CROSSWIND FOR RUNWAY 02/20. AFTER ENTERING THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND POSITIONING THE AIRPLANE ON FINAL FOR RUNWAYA 02, HE EXECUTED A GO AROUND AT 200 FEET ABOUVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) BECAUSE OF AN EXCESSIVE LATERAL DRIFT. ON HIS SECOND ATTEMPT TO LAND AT 4B8, HE ESTABLISHED THE AIRPLANE ON FINAL WITH 20 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND 65 KNOTS OF AIRSPEED. HE TOUCHED DOWN OK THEN THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO FLOAT, APPROXIMATLEY 3 FEET ABOUVE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE THEN DEPARTED THE RUNWAY WITH THE NOSE POINTED SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF CENTERLINE. AFTER EXITING THE RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE TRAVELED DOWN A 60 DEGREE EMBANK  MENTM STRUCK A CHAIN LINK FENCE, THEN CAME TO REST UPRIGHT. THE PILOT STATED HE ENCOUNTERED NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRPLANCE. THE PILOTS TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE WAS 158 HOURS, WITH 103 HOURS IN CESSNA 172PS. (-23) UPON TOUCHDOWN, PILOT REPORTED THAT AIRCRAFT CAUGHT GUST OF WIND AND AIRCRAFT "FLOATED." HE APPLIED POWER AND AIRCRAFT WENT OFF RIGHT SIDE OF RUNWAY, OVER EMBANKMENT, STRUCK FENCE AND CAME TO REST ACROSS RAILROAD TRACKS. PILOT MADE 2 GO-AROUNDS DUE TO CONCERN FOR WIND & DIRECTION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC98LA082](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA082), Mar 29, 1998: Cessna 172P (N9821L), Plainville, CT, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate crosswind compensation.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.