- Date
- September 17, 2011, 20:00 local (Sep 18, 2011, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Jonesboro, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N758DZCessna R172K
- Defining event
- Landing: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Little Rock FSDO
- Case key
- 81903
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 maintain directional control of the airplane while taxiing.
Findings · 2
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 pilot said that he failed to maintain directional control after landing at night. The airplane exited the right side of the runway onto a grassy area, struck the edge of a paved taxiway, and came to a full stop on the taxiway with the engine still operating. The pilot added power to begin taxiing and discovered that he could only steer the airplane to the left. The pilot reported that he then added power to begin a taxiing left turn onto the grass in order clear the runway. While taxiing on the grass surface the nosewheel went down a slope and the propeller struck an obstruction. The impact caused substantial damage to the forward fuselage structure and the firewall.
Factual narrative
The pilot said that he failed to maintain directional control after landing in dark night visual conditions. The airplane exited the right side of the runway onto a grassy area, struck the edge of a paved taxiway, and then came to a full stop on the taxiway with the engine still operating. The pilot added power to begin taxiing and discovered he could steer the airplane only to the left. The pilot reported that he then added power to begin a taxiing left turn onto the grass “in order clear the runway.” While taxiing on the grass surface the nose wheel inadvertently went down a slope and the propeller struck an obstruction. The impact caused substantial damage to the forward fuselage structure and the firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N758DZ
- Reported as
- Cessna R172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R1723025
- Airframe hours
- 945
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-360 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 2011 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- JWN · Nashville, TN
- Destination
- JBR · Jonesboro, AR
- Airport
- JBR · Jonesboro Municipal Airport, runway 23, 6,200 × 150 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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 553 total · 470 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KJBR
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 540 KB in all.