- Date
- September 13, 1992, 12:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Seldovia, AK
- Injuries
- 3 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N734VLCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920913036499A
- Case key
- 5805
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The failure of the pilot to perform a go around when a tail wind was encountered prior to touch down. Factors related to the accident were: the tailwind and the downdraft.
Analysis
At destination of cross country flight with 3 passengers, the pilot encountered a tailwind on short final and landed long. Judging he could not stop on remaining runway, he aborted the landing. Encountering a downdraft at the departure end, the airplane touched down on soft ground and nosed over.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N734VL
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269148
- Airframe hours
- 1,585
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Harley H. Hightower
- Registered owner
- Harley H. Hightower
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 27, 1992 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SOV · Seldovia, runway 16, 2,140 × 60 ft, gravel
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 519 total · 290 in this make and model · 295 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1.3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOM, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.