# NTSB ATL97LA089: Cessna 175A, N6844E, Panama City Bch, FL, June 22, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 22, 1997, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC) - Place: Panama City Bch, FL - Coordinates: 30.200407, -85.789237 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.2004&lon=-85.7892&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 15, 1997 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 3863 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL97LA089 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/3863/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA089 ## Probable cause failure of the pilot to account for the reduced braking effectiveness on the wet/grass airstrip, which resulted in an overrun and encounter with a ditch. Factors relating to the accident were: failure of the pilot to obtain weather information before departure, the short/wet landing strip, and the ditch that was encountered. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Overrun, landing - roll - in-flight planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - weather evaluation - inadequate, pilot in command (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - short runway/landing area (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - grass - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - wet (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - ditch (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot took off without checking the weather and flew to Panama City Beach with a banner. After arriving at the beach, which was about 10 miles away, the pilot received a report over the radio that there were thunderstorms in the area. He decided to return to the departure airstrip. After waiting for showers to pass over the strip, the pilot dropped his banner, and lined up for landing. He said the landing approach seemed normal until he attempted to brake after touchdown. The brakes were ineffective, and the pilot was unable to stop on the 1000 foot, wet, grass strip. The airplane went off the departure end of the strip and into a ditch. ## Factual narrative On June 22, 1997, at 1500 central daylight time, a Cessna 175, N6844E, collided with a ditch while on landing roll-out at Buchanan Stolport Airstrip, Panama City Beach, Florida. The banner towing airplane was operated by Aerial Ads, Inc. under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial pilot was not injured. There was no flight plan for this local flight which departed at 1435. The pilot decided to take-off from the grass strip, without checking the weather, after hearing from other pilots that the weather was "good enough to fly". The pilot picked up a banner, and flew to Panama City Beach, about 10 miles to the east of the departure airstrip. There were reports over the radio that there were thunderstorms in the area, so all the banner towing airplanes, including N6844E, decided to return to their departure fields. Buchanan Stolport was a grass strip approximately 1000 feet long. It was wet because light showers had passed through the area since the pilot's departure. After waiting for the shower to pass, the pilot overflew the field and dropped his banner. When he circled and attempted to make a normal landing on the wet grass, he was unable to slow the airplane down and went off the end of the runway into a ditch. The nose wheel collapsed, and the firewall was damaged. There was also structural damage to the right horizontal stabilizer. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6844E](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6844E-2011-07-05), registration cancelled 2011-07-05, S/N 56344, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 175A - Registry model: [Cessna 175A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-175a) (registry code 2072504) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 56344 - Engines: Lycoming O-360-A1D 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Part 91 - Registered owner: Aerial Ads, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, May 20, 1997, 63 hours before - Departed: FA07, FL - Airport: FA07, Buchanan Stolport, runway 36, 1,000 × 50 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 528 total, 179 in this make and model, 437 as pilot in command, 128 in the last 90 days, 85 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 3 knots - Visibility: 6 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 5,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 77 °F, dew point 61 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: PFN, 1 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19970622015949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970622015949A), Jun 22, 1997: Cessna 175A, Panama City Bea, FL, Substantial damage. Cut short banner tow due thunderstorms. Dropped banner over grass strip. Unable stop landing. Overran into ditch. (-23) pilot landed aircraft on 1000 ft. wet… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.