- Date
- April 8, 2010, 19:50 local (Apr 9, 2010, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Lawton, OK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N12614Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Oklahoma City FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100408031289A
- Case key
- 75716
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 private pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall, and the failure of both pilots to initiate a go-around. Contributing to the severity of both pilots' injuries was the lack of available shoulder harnesses.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The private pilot was completing a biennial flight review with a flight instructor. He was demonstrating a simulated short, soft-field landing over a simulated 50-foot obstacle on a 8,599-foot-long by 150-foot-wide concrete runway. The pilot allowed the airspeed to decrease to 40 knots at 50 feet above the runway and both the pilot and flight instructor failed to execute a go-around. The airplane then stalled, landed hard, and came to rest approximately 175 feet from the initial impact point. There was substantial damage to the engine mounts, nose gear and the firewall. There was a postimpact fuel spill, but no postimpact fire. Both pilots exited the airplane unassisted. The private pilot received minor injuries and the flight instructor received serious injuries. Because of the airplane's year of manufacture shoulder harness installation was not required and none were installed.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was completing a biennial flight review with a flight instructor. He was demonstrating a simulated short, soft field landing over a simulated 50 foot obstacle on a 8,599 foot long by 150 foot wide concrete runway. The pilot allowed the airspeed to decrease to 40 knots at 50 feet above the runway and both the pilot and flight instructor failed to execute a go-around. The airplane then stalled, landed hard, and came to rest approximately 175 feet from the initial impact point. There was substantial damage to the engine mounts, nose gear and the firewall. There was a post-impact fuel spill, but no post-impact fire. Both pilots exited the airplane unassisted. The private pilot received minor injuries and the flight instructor received serious injuries. The airplane was not equipped with shoulder harnesses. Because of the airplane’s year of manufacture shoulder harness installation was not required.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12614
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-62114
- Airframe hours
- 8,046
- Engine
- Lycoming O320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 9, 2009
- Departed
- LAW · Lawton, OK
- Destination
- LAW · Lawton, OK
- Airport
- LAW · Lawton-Fort Sill Regional, runway 17, 8,599 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 29, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 463 total · 413 in this make and model · 405 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 4, 2008
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 588 total · 381 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- LAW, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 10, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 353 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.