- Date
- April 11, 2003, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grayslake, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N389SPCessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA - DuPage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030411012269A
- Case key
- 56805
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 flight instuctor's improper in-flight decision to land with a tailwind and failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing. Factors contributing to the accident were the tailwind, the student pilot's inadequate flare, and the muddy terrain.
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 nosed over after veering off the runway during landing. The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported the student pilot was circling to land for runway 9, but was told by a person on the ground that the winds were from the northwest. The student pilot then began to circle for runway 27. The CFI reported that the approach was normal and the student landed on the runway centerline. The student landed flat and the airplane bounced. The CFI pulled back on the yoke and the airplane drifted to the left. The airplane touched down on the left side of the runway and veered further to the left. The CFI reported she stated to the student, "I have the controls." The student pilot reported she was not sure who was on the controls. The airplane went into the mud to the left of the runway and nosed over. A weather reporting station 11 miles to the east-northeast of the accident site reported the winds from 050 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 18 knots.
Factual narrative
On April 11, 2003, at 1300 central daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N389SP, nosed over following a loss of directional control while landing on runway 27 (3,270 feet by 40 feet, dry asphalt) at the Campbell Airport, Grayslake, Illinois. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight originated from Waukegan (UGN), Illinois, at 1230.
The CFI reported the student was circling to land on runway 9 because of wind conditions reported at UGN. The CFI stated that when she reported their intention to land, a person on the ground reported the winds from the northwest at five knots. The CFI noted the student entered a pattern for runway 27 and everything seemed normal while on final approach. The CFI reported the student was landing on the runway centerline, but was about 10 knots fast and the student's "flare was minimal creating a flat landing." The CFI stated she pulled back on the yoke, the airplane became airborne, and she established another flare. The CFI reported the airplane touched down on the left side of the runway and continued to veer to the left. The CFI reported the airplane veered into the mud at the side of the runway and she stated to the student, "I have the controls." The CFI stated the airplane came to a sudden stop and the airplane nosed over.
The student reported she "flared too soon" while landing and the airplane bounced. The student reported the CFI pulled up on the yoke and the airplane drifted about 20 feet to the left. The student stated she "was not certain who was on the controls." She reported that as the nose wheel touched down it jammed into the mud and the airplane nosed over.
The CFI reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane or the airplane's engine prior to the accident.
A weather reporting station 11 miles to the east-northeast of the accident side reported the winds at 1255 from 050 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 18 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N389SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8775
- Airframe hours
- 792.6
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Waukegan Wings, LLC
- Registered owner
- Willard D. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2003 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- UGN · Waukegan, IL
- Destination
- C81 · Grays Lake, IL
- Airport
- C81 · Campbell Airport, runway 27, 3,270 × 40 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 7, 2002
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,444 total · 2,367 in this make and model · 6,123 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 210 total · 210 in this make and model · 22 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- UGN, 11 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.