- Date
- March 23, 2011, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Statesville, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N32SFCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110323004459A
- Case key
- 78657
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 certified flight instructor's inadequate remedial action during the go-around, which resulted in a collision with trees.
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 certified flight instructor stated that during an instructional flight he and his student departed a private grass strip on runway 22. They climbed to 800 feet and turned left toward the airport in order to simulate an engine out emergency. The instructor reduced the power and the student pilot turned back towards the grass strip to land on runway 4. During the final approach to landing, the airplane encountered a tailwind and, in an attempt to go-around, the airplane collided with trees at the end of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, and wings. The pilots reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. The nearest airport’s weather observation system reported that the wind at the time of the accident was from 210 degrees at 6 knots.
Factual narrative
The certificated flight instructor stated that during an instructional flight, he and his student departed a private grass strip on runway 22. They climbed to 800 feet and turned left toward the airport in order to simulate an engine out emergency. The instructor reduced the power and the student pilot turned back towards the grass strip to land on runway 4. During the final approach, the airplane encountered a tailwind, and in an attempt to go-around the airplane collided with trees at the end of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, and wings. The pilots reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. The nearest airport's weather observation system reported at the time of the accident; wind from 210 degrees at 6 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32SF
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17264958
- Airframe hours
- 16,589
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Compass 21 Inc
- Registered owner
- Compass 21 Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 18, 2011 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 31A · Mocksville, NC
- Destination
- 31A · Mocksville, NC
- Airport
- 00 · Allison Private Airstrip, runway 04, 3,000 × 100 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 10, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 8,350 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 68 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.72 inHg
- Observed at
- SVH, 12 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.0 MB 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.