- Date
- April 17, 2010, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Coldwater, KS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N81772Cessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: 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/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100417041039A
- Case key
- 75808
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 pilot's failure to compensate for gusting crosswinds resultuing in the loss of directional control while landing.
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 landing his single-engine airplane in a crosswind when he encountered a wind gust of 15-20 knots during the landing flare. The airplane went off the left side of the runway and the left horizontal stabilizer struck a precision approach path indicator light, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot reported that he should have anticipated a higher crosswind component and possible gusts during the landing.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was landing his single-engine airplane in a crosswind when he encountered a wind gust of 15-20 knots during the landing flare. The airplane went off the left side of the runway and the left horizontal stabilizer struck a precision approach path indicator light, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that he should have anticipated a higher crosswind component and possible gusts during the landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81772
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17263860
- Airframe hours
- 5,208
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David Wurfel
- Registered owner
- David Wurfel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 12, 2010 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- KANY · Anthony, KS
- Destination
- KHQG · Hugoton, KS
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 3K8 · Commanche County, runway 35
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 10, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 98 total · 70 in this make and model · 47 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 4, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 556 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.