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20040828027029I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 172M · Eagles Mere, PA · August 28, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 28, 2004 · 10:00 local
Place
Eagles Mere, PA
Airport
Merritt Field Airport
Phase of flight
Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N12343
Reported as
Cessna 172M
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,240 total1,100 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N12343Registered now · Cessna 172MS/N 17261940 · Built 1973Airframe modelCessna 172MEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

(-23) The pilot flew the aircraft on a low pass over runway 24 at Merritt field. When the pilot elected to execute a go-around there was approximately 1,200 feet of runway remaining. During the go-around the aircraft touched down briefly (as the runway has an appreciable upslope on runway 24) and then became airborne in ground effects, but would not climb any higher. The pilot then noticed that he had not retracted the flaps. He did so and the aircraft settled back down towards the ground after flying past the end of runway 24. The right horizontal stabilizer struck a large boulder off the end of the runway. The aircraft finally touched down in the clearway at the end of the runway. The aircraft followed the slope of the clearway which angles downhill to the aircraft's left. The pilot attempted to keep the aircraft from going into the wooded area beyond the clearway by attempting a controlled ground loop to the aircraft's left. In doing so, the aircraft slid sideways at a 45 degree nose left angle to the actual path of travel. The aircraft's right wingtip struck a tree at that angle and then spun about a tree coming to rest in the opposite direction.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT FLEW THE AIRCRAFT ON A LOW PASS OVER RUNWAY 24 AT MERRITT FIELD. WHEN THE PILOT ELECTED TO EXECUTE A GO-AROUND THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,200 FEET OF RUNWAY REMAINING. DURING THE GO-AROUND THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY (AS THE RUNWAY HAS AN APPRECIABLE UPSLOPE ON RUNWAY 24) AND THEN BECAME AIRBORNE IN GROUND EFFECTS, BUT WOULD NOT CLIMB ANY HIGHER. THE PILOT THEN NOTICED THAT HE HAD NOT RETRACTED THE FLAPS. HE DID SO AND THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED BACK DOWN TOWARDS THE GROUND AFTER FLYING PAST THE END OF RUNWAY 24. THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER STRUCK A LARGE BOULDER OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT FINALLY TOUCHED DOWN IN THE CLEARWAY AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT FOLLOWED THE SLOPE OF THE CLEARWAY WHICH ANGLES DOWNHILL TO THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT FROM GOING INTO THE WOODED AREA BEYOND THE CLEARWAY BY ATTEMPTING A CONTROLLED GROUND LOOP TO THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT. IN DOING SO, THE AIRCRAFT SLID SIDEWAYS AT A 45 DEGREE NOSE LEFT ANGLE TO THE ACTUAL PATH OF TRAVEL. THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT WINGTIP STRUCK A TREE AT THAT ANGLE AND THEN SPUN ABOUT A TREE COMING TO REST IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.