- Date
- August 12, 2006, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Palatka, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2469UCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20060812018349A
- Case key
- 64325
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to preclude a stall while maneuvering over the runway, and the instructor's inadequate supervision of the student pilot, which resulted in a collision with the runway. A factor in the accident was an inadvertent stall.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The certificated flight instructor, seated in the right front seat, was conducting a Title 14, CFR Part 91, instructional flight with a student pilot seated in the left front seat, who had accrued 4 flight hours. A second student occupied a rear seat to observe the training. The instructor reported that she planned to have the student fly over the runway in a landing configuration. The student pilot established the airplane in a slow flight maneuver at 65 knots with the flaps down, while flying about 5 to 10 feet above the runway. The instructor reported that the airspeed dropped quickly from 65 to 45 knots, and the airplane began to descend. She instructed the student to "go around," but when the descent rate was not arrested, she took the controls. At that time, the airplane was in a nose-low, right bank. The instructor ensured that full power had been applied, raised the nose of the airplane, and applied left rudder and left aileron. The airplane continued to descend, and the left wing struck the runway. The instructor regained control of the airplane after touchdown, and taxied to parking. The airplane received structural damage to the left wing. The instructor reported that the airplane did not have any preimpact mechanical malfunction.
Factual narrative
The certificated flight instructor, seated in the right front seat, was conducting a Title 14, CFR Part 91, instructional flight with a student pilot seated in the left front seat, who had accrued 4 flight hours. A second student occupied a rear seat to observe the training. The instructor reported that she planned to have the student fly over the runway in a landing configuration. The student pilot established the airplane in a slow flight maneuver at 65 knots with the flaps down, while flying about 5 to 10 feet above the runway. The instructor reported that the airspeed dropped quickly from 65 to 45 knots, and the airplane began to descend. She instructed the student to "go around," but when the descent rate was not arrested, she took the controls. At that time, the airplane was in a nose-low, right bank. The instructor ensured that full power had been applied, raised the nose of the airplane, and applied left rudder and left aileron. The airplane continued to descend, and the left wing struck the runway. The instructor regained control of the airplane after touchdown, and taxied to parking. The airplane received structural damage to the left wing. The instructor reported that the airplane did not have any preimpact mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2469U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10067
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- North Florida Flight Training Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gregory and Gilford Enterprises LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KCRG · Jacksonville, FL
- Destination
- 28J · Palatka, FL
- Airport
- 28J · Palatka Municipal, runway 27
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 26
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 447 total · 72 in this make and model · 267 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Flight hours
- 4 total · 4 in this make and model · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.