- Date
- April 24, 2010, 11:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Poughkeepsie, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5371DCessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Teterboro FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100424032349A
- Case key
- 75863
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 directional control on the landing rollout.
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 private pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings and full-stop landings at his home airport. The airplane touched down on the runway and started to veer left on the landing rollout. No crosswinds were present. The pilot stated, "I let the plane follow the path to the left, not wanting to over control it and having it tilt sideways or nose first into the grass. It struck the 3,000 foot sign on the side of the runway as it exited the runway, rolled out on the grass and came to a stop." The pilot indicated that he lost directional control of the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left horizontal stabilizer received structural damage; no anomalies were noted with the brakes or steering systems of the airplane.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was conducting touch and go landings and full stop landings at his home base airport. The airplane touched down on the runway and started to veer to the left on landing roll out. No crosswind condition was present. The pilot stated, "I let the plane follow the path to the left, not wanting to over control it and having it tilt sideways or nose first into the grass. It struck the 3,000 foot sign on the side of the runway as it exited the runway, rolled out on the grass and came to a stop." The pilot informed the NTSB investigator during a telephone interview that he lost directional control of the airplane. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector and maintenance inspector from a local fixed base operator revealed the left horizontal stabilizer received structural damage. No anomalies were noted with the brakes or steering systems of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5371D
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N (17272550)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17272550
- Airframe hours
- 10,270
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cohen Bruce M
- Registered owner
- Cohen Bruce M
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 9, 2010 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- POU · Poughkeepsie, NY
- Destination
- POU · Poughkeepsie, NY
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- POU · Dutchess County Airport, runway 06, 5,001 × 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 25, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 243 total · 235 in this make and model · 148 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- pou
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 3, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 733 KB 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.
Other investigations on N5371D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.