- Date
- May 21, 2020, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Houma, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N365CPCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing area undershoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200521010449A
- Case key
- 101330
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 adequate clearance from a ground obstacle during landing.
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 commercial pilot and passenger were returning to the airport after completing the pipeline patrol. As the airplane approached the airport, the pilot listened to the recorded weather and contacted the air traffic control tower. The reported wind was steady at 12 to 15 kts from 170°. The pilot was cleared to land on runway 18, and the pilot stated that he "set up for a short field landing in order to make the first taxiway on the right." He said that just before getting to the threshold of the runway, the wind "either quit or abruptly reduced" and the plane started to "sink" rapidly. The pilot thought he had cleared the runway threshold lights and added "a little" back pressure on the flight control yolk. The airplane's left horizontal stabilizer struck a runway threshold light resulting in substantial damage. The pilot indicated that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions with the airplane during the flight.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot and passenger were returning to the airport after completing the pipeline patrol. As the airplane approached the airport, the pilot listened to the recorded weather and contacted the air traffic control tower. The reported wind was steady at 12 to 15 kts from 170°. The pilot was cleared to land on runway 18, and the pilot stated that he "set up for a short field landing in order to make the first taxiway on the right." He said that just before getting to the threshold of the runway, the wind "either quit or abruptly reduced" and the plane started to "sink" rapidly. The pilot thought he had cleared the runway threshold lights and added "a little" back pressure on the flight control yolk. The airplane's left horizontal stabilizer struck a runway threshold light resulting in substantial damage. The pilot indicated that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions with the airplane during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N365CP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8838
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 12,139.2
- Engine
- Lycoming IO360 L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Barr Air Patrol Llc
- Registered owner
- Barr Air Patrol Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 9, 2020
- Departed
- HUM · Houma, LA
- Destination
- HUM · Houma, LA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- HUM · Houma-Terrebonne, runway 18, 6,508 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Handheld GPS
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 21, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 6,716.8 total · 2,498.6 in this make and model · 6,132.3 as pilot in command · 181 in the last 90 days · 64.9 in the last 30 days · 3.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KHUM
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.4 MB 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.
Other investigations on N365CP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.