- Date
- October 6, 2001, 14:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Beaver Island, MI
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73630Cessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-Grand Rapids, Michigan-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20011006027889A
- Case key
- 53624
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 not maintaining directional control of the airplane during landing. The gusty crosswind and the berm were factors.
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.
Analysis
The airplane departed the right side of runway 35 and struck a berm while landing. In a written statement, the pilot said that a, "... sudden unexpected wind gust pushed and lifted [his] aircraft off runway 36. [The] aircraft came back down on the muddy edge, with the nose pointed northeast. Attempts to direct aircraft back towards the runway produced a skid, allowing the aircraft to continue in a northeasterly direction. Upon seeing the berm directly in front of the aircraft, I pulled back hard on the [yoke] and [applied] full left rudder. The aircraft gear (nose and left wheel) hit the top of the berm; the aircraft turned 180 degrees and came to rest. ... Two previous attempts at landing on 27 with go arounds indicated strong winds with varying direction..." The pilot listed no mechanical malfunction in his report of the accident. A weather reporting station located about 3 miles and 228 degrees from the accident site recorded the winds as 290 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 22 knots.
Factual narrative
On October 6, 2001, at 1410 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N73630, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it departed the right side of runway 35 (3,500 feet by 140 feet, dry turf), and struck a berm at the Welke Airport, Beaver Island, Michigan. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions and was not on a flight plan. The pilot and his two passengers reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Cherry Capital Airport, Traverse City, Michigan, at 1330.
In a written statement, the pilot said that a, "... sudden unexpected wind gust pushed and lifted [his] aircraft off runway 36. [The] aircraft came back down on the muddy edge, with the nose pointed northeast. Attempts to direct aircraft back towards the runway produced a skid, allowing the aircraft to continue in a northeasterly direction. Upon seeing the berm directly in front of the aircraft, I pulled back hard on the [yoke] and [applied] full left rudder. The aircraft gear (nose and left wheel) hit the top of the berm; the aircraft turned 180 degrees and came to rest. ... Two previous attempts at landing on 27 with go arounds indicated strong winds with varying direction..." The pilot listed no mechanical malfunction in his report of the accident.
A weather reporting station located about 3 miles and 228 degrees from the accident site recorded the winds as 290 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 22 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73630
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267588
- Airframe hours
- 2,424
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Phillip J. Wyckoff
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 9, 2001 · 94 hours before
- Departed
- TVC · Traverse City, MI
- Destination
- 6Y8 · Beaver Island, MI
- Airport
- 6Y8 · Welke, runway 35, 3,500 × 140 ft, grass/turf
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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- June 28, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 159 total · 102 in this make and model · 89 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 12 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- SJX, 3 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.
Other investigations on N73630 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.