- Date
- April 17, 2023, 09:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Fredericksburg, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N478SPCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Abnormal runway contact
- 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
- 20230417003659A
- Case key
- 107086
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 airplane control during an attempted go-around resulting in abnormal contact with the runway pavement and a runway excursion.
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 stated that when she checked the weather inbound to the airport, the wind was reported as calm. However, the wind may have shifted resulting in a tailwind on final approach. When it became apparent that the airplane was going to land long, she added full power to attempt a go-around. However, the airplane porpoised, the nose landing gear struck the runway and collapsed, and the airplane veered left and departed the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. She noted that initiating the go-around earlier may have prevented the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N478SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8023
- Built
- 1998
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Archimedes Aviation LLC, doing business as Above and Beyond
- Registered owner
- Archimedes Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KAUS · Austin, TX
- Destination
- T82 · Fredericksburg, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- T82 · Gillespie County, runway 32, 5,001 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 11, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 189.9 total · 82.6 in this make and model · 28.3 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 7.7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KERV, 31 nm away
- METAR
- KERV 171455Z AUTO 16003KT 10SM CLR 18/05 A3018 RMK AO2 T01780046
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.