# NTSB CEN21LA029: Cessna 172, N5910A, Geuda Springs, KS, October 24, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: October 24, 2020, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC) - Place: Geuda Springs, KS - Coordinates: 37.110845, -97.150024 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.1108&lon=-97.1500&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 102194 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN21LA029 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/102194/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102194 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA029 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to determine the airplane’s takeoff performance from an off-airport field which resulted in an aborted takeoff and impact with a fence and terrain. Contributing to the accident was the delayed aborted takeoff. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Planning/preparation: performance calculations](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061010): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061010/cases.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 114 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061010/cases.md) - [Aircraft capability: takeoff distance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01061025): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Attain/maintain not possible (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01061025/cases.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 67 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01061025/cases.md) - [Action: delayed action](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041025): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041025/cases.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 894 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041025/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 14 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot and his passenger had landed the airplane in a friend’s off-airport field. After a brief visit, the pilot preflighted the airplane, started the engine, and proceeded to take off. About halfway down the field, the pilot realized he was not going to get off the ground in time and elected to abort the takeoff. The airplane struck a terrace and bounced into the air. As the end of the field approached, the pilot tried to settle the airplane back on the ground. The airplane struck a fence and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, left wing strut, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5910A](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5910A), registered now, S/N 28510, built 1956 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172 - Registry model: [Cessna 172](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172) (registry code 2072402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28510 - Year built: 1956 - Airframe hours: 2739.9 - Engines: Continental O-300-A 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 20, 2020 - Departed: 1K1, Benton, KS - Destination: WLD, Winfield, KS - Airport: NONE, McClaskey, runway None, 1,800 × 100 ft, grass/turf - Equipment: Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 20; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review March 10, 2019; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 305 total, 256 in this make and model, 244 as pilot in command, 62 in the last 90 days, 24 in the last 30 days - Pilot-rated passenger; age 19; injuries: none; student; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; seat: right; restraint: lap only ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 97 °F, dew point 86 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: WLD, 8 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20201024019849A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20201024019849A), Oct 24, 2020: Cessna 172, Geuda Springs, KS, Substantial damage. During the takeoff roll from a recently harvested field, the airplane settled down onto a terrace, causing the airplane to lose airspeed. The pilot elected to… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 4, 2021, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102194. 1.6 MB in all. - NTSB form 6120.1-2, pilot-operator aircraft accident-incident report (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 685 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11563761&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120.1%20Pilot_Operator%20Aircraft%20Accident_Incident%20Report_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Accident report photographs (item 2, PDF, 6 pages, 881 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11544488&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Accident%20Report%20Photographs-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.