# Accident 20170904018029A: Cessna 172S, Montoursville, PA, September 4, 2017 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 4, 2017, 15:12 local time - Place: Montoursville, PA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 41.2465° N, 76.9174° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Montoursville, PA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2465&lon=-76.9174&mi=10 - Aircraft: N565AD, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N565AD) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (registry code 41597, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S - Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-360-L2A - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Student - Pilot flight hours: 54 total, 52 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170904018029A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. AT APPROXIMATELY 1512 LOCAL TIME, THE STUDENT PILOT HAD BEEN PRACTICING FLIGHT MANEUVERS FOR ONE HOUR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED HE HAD CONTACTED THE WILLIAMSPORT REGIONAL AIRPORT (IPT) AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AND BEEN CLEARED TO ENTER THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND ON RUNWAY 27. THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLARED FOR LANDING AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY ON THE REAR WHEELS ONLY. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED UPWARD, THEN DESCENDED IN A NOSE-LOW ATTITUDE CONTACTING THE RUNWAY NOSE-WHEEL FIRST. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THE IMPACT WAS SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE HIM TO LOSE GRIP OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS. THE NOSE-WHEEL COLLAPSED REARWARD, THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED FORWARD WITH BOTH PROPELLER BLADES STRIKING THE RUNWAY REPEATEDLY, WHILE THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED LEFT STRIKING THE LEFT WINGTIP AS IT VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY INTO THE SOD TO THE RIGHT, WHERE IT CAME TO REST NOSE DOWN, ON THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE ENGINE COWLING. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE 1354 LOCAL TIME WEATHER OBSERVATION AT IPT INDICATED FEW CLOUDS AT 4800 FEET WITH 10 MILES VISIBILITY, NO WIND. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 26 DEGREES CELSIUS, DEW POINT WAS 17 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND THE ALTIMETER SETTING WAS 29.88 IN HG, RESULTING IN A DENSITY ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 2213 FEET. THE 1521 LOCAL TIME SPECIAL WEATHER OBSERVATION AT IPT INDICATED FEW CLOUDS AT 5000 FEET WITH 10 MILES VISIBILITY, WINDS FROM 180 DEGREES AT 7 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 19 KNOTS. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 27 DEGREES CELSIUS, DEW POINT WAS 16 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND THE ALTIMETER SETTING WAS 29.85 IN HG, RESULTING IN A DENSITY ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 2344 FEET. THE IMPACT SIGNATURE TRAIL BEGINS APPROXIMATELY 8 FEET LEFT OF RUNWAY 27 CENTERLINE, IMMEDIATELY VEERING RIGHT INTO THE SOD APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET FURTHER WEST ALONG THE RUNWAY. MULTIPLE CONTINUOUS PROPELLER STRIKES ARE EVIDENT ALONG THE ENTIRE SIGNATURE TRAIL. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL IRREGULARITIES REPORTED BY THE PILOT OR DISCOVERED POST ACCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE STUDENT PILOT?S LOGBOOK SOLO ENDORSEMENT REVEALED CROSSWIND LANDINGS WERE LIMITED TO 10 KNOTS WIND WITH 5 KNOTS CROSSWIND. ## NTSB investigation None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search 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.