- Date
- November 27, 2008, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Frederick, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N35540Cessna 172I
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 24, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20081127853009A
- Case key
- 69524
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 student pilot's delayed decision to abort the landing.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot of the Cessna 172I stated that following an uneventful local flight, he returned to his home airport to practice takeoffs and landings. During the second approach, just above the runway, the pilot realized that the airplane was "low and slow," so he increased engine power. The airplane's descent rate did not change appreciably, and with the airplane drifting toward the left, the pilot decided to abort the landing. The pilot subsequently increased engine power to full, and kept the airplane's pitch attitude level. Shortly thereafter, the pilot heard the landing gear strike the top of the precision approach path indicator light box. The pilot attempted to "set the airplane down" and the nose landing gear struck the edge of the runway, collapsing it, and resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies associated with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The student pilot of the Cessna 172I stated that following an uneventful local flight, he returned to his home airport to practice takeoffs and landings. During the second approach, just above the runway, the pilot realized that the airplane was "low and slow," so he increased engine power. The airplane's descent rate did not change appreciably, and with the airplane drifting toward the left, the pilot decided to abort the landing. The pilot subsequently increased engine power to full, and kept the airplane's pitch attitude level. Shortly thereafter, the pilot heard the landing gear strike the top of the precision approach path indicator light box. The pilot attempted to "set the airplane down" and the nose landing gear struck the edge of the runway, collapsing it, and resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies associated with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35540
- Reported as
- Cessna 172I
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17256821
- Airframe hours
- 5,861
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Sky Hi Inc
- Registered owner
- Sky Hi Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 10, 2008
- Departed
- FDK · Frederick, MD
- Destination
- FDK · Frederick, MD
- Airport
- FDK · Frederick Municipal Airport, runway 23, 5,220 × 100 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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 115 total · 70 in this make and model · 39 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- FDK, 1 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.