- Date
- February 17, 1989, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Wilmington, OH
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N739USCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890217002269A
- Case key
- 7988
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 failure of the pilot to adequately compensate for wind conditions, to maintain proper runway alignment, and his delay in aborting the landing. Contributing factors were: variable crosswind conditions and a small tree.
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 pilot rprtd that as he started flaring to land, the acft began drifting to the right. He tried to correct the situation, but the acft continued drifting to the right toward a ditch. He initiated a go-around, but the acft settled to the frozen ground, hit a small tree on the east side of the rwy & was damaged. The plt estimated the wind was variable at 20 KTS. About 30 mi northwest at dayton, the wind was rprtd to be from 060 deg at 10 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N739US
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17270822
- Airframe hours
- 2,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kenneth W. Powell
- Registered owner
- Kenneth W Powell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 4, 1988 · 452 hours before
- Departed
- Seymour, IN
- Destination
- I66
- Airport
- I66 · Clinton County, runway 2, 3,500 × 25 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 537 total · 343 in this make and model · 370 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.