- Date
- January 27, 1990, 15:55 local (20:55 UTC)
- Place
- Gaithersburg, MD
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N75946Cessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900127001199A
- Case key
- 11578
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
Inadequate supervision by the instructor pilot (CFI), which resulted in failure to maintain airspeed and a subsequent stall. Factors related to the accident were: gusty/crosswind conditions, the student pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and failure to maintain runway alignment, and the cfi's lack of total experience as an instructor pilot.
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 dual student plt was attempting his first lndg in a Cessna 172. All of his previous flts were in Cessna 150. The instructor plt (CFI) stated he was going to evaluate the lndg & determine if the student was to countinue with more lndgs. According to the CFI & student, wind gusts were occurring. The student stated that during the approach, the flaps were set at 30 degrees & the airspeed was about 60 KTS. He stated that he 'crabbed' into the wind, & when he started the landing flare, the acft drifted left of the rwy & the stall warning horn sounded. The CFI took control of the acft & tried to correct the situation. However, the acft subsequently rolled abruptly to the left & hit the ground with first the left wing, then the nose.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75946
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268062
- Airframe hours
- 4,446
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Montgomery Aviation Ltd.
- Registered owner
- Montgomery Aviation, Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 19, 1990 · 6 hours before
- Airport
- GAI · Montgomery County, runway 14, 4,196 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 356 total · 290 in this make and model · 136 as pilot in command · 82 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.