CHI01LA057

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172N · Lincoln, IL · January 1, 2001

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
January 1, 2001, 17:40 local (23:40 UTC)
Place
Lincoln, IL
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N737WQCessna 172N
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
Status
Completed · report November 1, 2001
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20010101038259A
Case key
50891

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control on the runway. Factors relating to this accident were the aborted takeoff attempt, the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, and the snowbank.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - on ground/waterTakeoff
Directional control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Aborted landing - attemptedPilot in commandFactor
In-flight planning/decision - improperPilot in commandFactor
On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterTakeoff
Terrain condition - snowbankFactor
Nose overTakeoff

Analysis

The pilot said he performed a normal landing to runway 03 (4000 feet by 75 feet, dry asphalt), at the Lincoln-Logan County Airport, Lincoln, Illinois. He said the airplane settled on the runway approximately 1,000 feet down from the runway threshold. The pilot raised the flaps and applied full power. The airplane lifted, came back down, and veered to the right. The pilot said the airplane plowed into the snow, nosed over, and came to rest upside down. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.

Factual narrative

On January 1, 2001, at 1740 central standard time, a Cessna 172N, N737WQ, operated by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it struck a snow bank and nosed over during a practice landing and takeoff, from runway 03 (4000 feet by 75 feet, dry asphalt) at the Lincoln-Logan County Airport, Lincoln, Illinois. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. There was no flight plan filed. The pilot and passenger on board the airplane reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Springfield, Illinois, at 1715.

In his written statement, the pilot said that he performed a normal approach to runway 03. He said that approximately 800 feet from the runway's threshold, the airplane bounced and floated for about 200 feet. "We settled back onto the runway and started the rollout. I feared not having enough runway and raised the flaps and applied full power. The airplane lifted and came back down to the runway and began to veer to the right. The aircraft did not respond to control input and plowed into snow, nosed over and came to rest upside down."

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane at the Lincoln-Logan County Airport. The airplane was found resting inverted in a snow-covered field, off the right side of runway 03, approximately half-way down the runway. The airplane's nose gear was broken off. The cowling, engine mounts and firewall were crushed inward and bent aft and upward. Both wings were bent downward, outboard of the wing struts. The airplane's vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed downward. The propeller was torsionally bent and showed chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.

Aircraft

Registration
N737WQ
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17269734
Airframe hours
2,633.6
Engine
Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Capital Aircraft Inc.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · October 3, 2000 · 63.8 hours before
Departed
SPI · Springfield, IL
Destination
3LC · Lincoln, IL
Airport
3LC · Lincoln Airport, runway 03, 4,000 × 75 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
37
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
October 11, 2000
Seat
Left
Flight hours
106 total · 106 in this make and model · 37 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
Wind
260° at 4 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
9 °F, dew point 1 °F
Altimeter
30.52 inHg
Observed at
SPI, 25 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.