20051113029039A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 172R · Ramona, CA · November 13, 2005

Date
November 13, 2005 · 10:00 local
Place
Ramona, CA
Airport
Ramona Airport
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N23899
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX06LA032
Reported as
Cessna 172R
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
29 total29 in this make and model29 in the last 90 days

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) On November 12, 2005, a student pilot, privacy data omitted, on his first supervised solo, attempted to solo in a Cessna C172R, N23899, at Ramona Airport (rnm). The pilot privacy data omitted was cleared for a touch and go on rwy 27 and said he touched down at just under 60 KIAS on the main/rear wheels. He stated that there was no bounce. He also stated that as the nose wheel made contact it began to vibrate and pull to the left. He attempted to take pressure off the nose wheel and straighten the acft. The pilot privacy data omitted stated he then retracted the flaps. He had not added power yet, but stated the acft was still pulling left and the vibration started getting worse. The pilot ^priva^ stated the aircraft then turned abruptly left. As the pilot privacy data omitted applied the brakes, the acft went off the south/left side of rwy 27 and proceeded approximately 200 ft. before impacting a low dirt ditch and berm where the nose gear was torn off and remained. The aircraft continued another 100 ft. across the ground with enough force to drag the propeller through the dirt destroying the engine cowling and collapsing the engine mount structure. It finally came to rest with the left wing tip and nose incontact with the ground, and the tail about seven to eight feet off the ground. Investigation and enclosed pictures of the aircraft revealed that the main tires were in good condition. The r/h tire had no such indications. The l/h main tire had one tread of rubber with overheat blistering that was very light. But there was no significant tire scuffing or skidding. The r/h tire has no such indications. This type of wear would be consistent with a high speed landing with weight on the nose wheel instead of the mains. It would also indicate that some left brake was momentarily applied resulting in an overheat blister on the tire which would also be conducive with the brake locking up and skidding. The left wheel locked and skidded. The uneven application of the left brake early in the landing roll, with too much weight on the nose wheel causing a wheel barrowing effect could produce this type of indication. It does appear that the aircraft skidded, left the runway with a significant amount of energy. It then appears as though the pilot landed at an excessive rate of speed. Tire damage indicates that too much early pressure was applied on the nose wheel and the pilot lost control possibly due to poor technique and inexperience.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON NOVEMBER 12, 2005, A STUDENT PILOT, ^PRIVACY DATA O^, ON HIS FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO, ATTEMPTED TO SOLO IN A CESSNA C172R, N23899, AT RAMONA AIRPORT (RNM). THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ WAS CLEARED FOR A TOUCH AND GO ON RWY 27 AND SAID HE TOUCHED DOWN AT JUST UNDER 60 KIAS ON THE MAIN/REAR WHEELS. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO BOUNCE. HE ALSO STATED THAT AS THE NOSE WHEEL MADE CONTACT IT BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND PULL TO THE LEFT. HE ATTEMPTED TO TAKE PRESSURE OFF THE NOSE WHEEL AND STRAIGHTEN THE ACFT. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ STATED HE THEN RETRACTED THE FLAPS. HE HAD NOT ADDED POWER YET, BUT STATED THE ACFT WAS STILL PULLING LEFT AND THE VIBRATION STARTED GETTING WORSE. THE PILOT ^PRIVA^ STATED THE AIRCRAFT THEN TURNED ABRUPTLY LEFT. AS THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE ACFT WENT OFF THE SOUTH/LEFT SIDE OF RWY 27 AND PROCEEDED APPROXIMATELY 200 FT. BEFORE IMPACTING A LOW DIRT DITCH AND BERM WHERE THE NOSE GEAR WAS TORN OFF AND REMAINED. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ANOTHER 100 FT. ACROSS THE GROUND WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO DRAG THE PROPELLER THROUGH THE DIRT DESTROYING THE ENGINE COWLING AND COLLAPSING THE ENGINE MOUNT STRUCTURE. IT FINALLY CAME TO REST WITH THE LEFT WING TIP AND NOSE INCONTACT WITH THE GROUND, AND THE TAIL ABOUT SEVEN TO EIGHT FEET OFF THE GROUND. INVESTIGATION AND ENCLOSED PICTURES OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE MAIN TIRES WERE IN GOOD CONDITION. THE R/H TIRE HAD NO SUCH INDICATIONS. THE L/H MAIN TIRE HAD ONE TREAD OF RUBBER WITH OVERHEAT BLISTERING THAT WAS VERY LIGHT. BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT TIRE SCUFFING OR SKIDDING. THE R/H TIRE HAS NO SUCH INDICATIONS. THIS TYPE OF WEAR WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH A HIGH SPEED LANDING WITH WEIGHT ON THE NOSE WHEEL INSTEAD OF THE MAINS. IT WOULD ALSO INDICATE THAT SOME LEFT BRAKE WAS MOMENTARILY APPLIED RESULTING IN AN OVERHEAT BLISTER ON THE TIRE WHICH WOULD ALSO BE CONDUCIVE WITH THE BRAKE LOCKING UP AND SKIDDING. THE LEFT WHEEL LOCKED AND SKIDDED. THE UNEVEN APPLICATION OF THE LEFT BRAKE EARLY IN THE LANDING ROLL, WITH TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON THE NOSE WHEEL CAUSING A WHEEL BARROWING EFFECT COULD PRODUCE THIS TYPE OF INDICATION. IT DOES APPEAR THAT THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED, LEFT THE RUNWAY WITH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ENERGY. IT THEN APPEARS AS THOUGH THE PILOT LANDED AT AN EXCESSIVE RATE OF SPEED. TIRE DAMAGE INDICATES THAT TOO MUCH EARLY PRESSURE WAS APPLIED ON THE NOSE WHEEL AND THE PILOT LOST CONTROL POSSIBLY DUE TO POOR TECHNIQUE AND INEXPERIENCE.

NTSB investigation

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