- Date
- April 5, 2012, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pottstown, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6871HCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-aborted after touchdown: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 7, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120405005429A
- Case key
- 83313
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 inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a loss of control.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot, the landing approach was normal. However, during touchdown, the airplane bounced, and the pilot decided to perform a go-around. He applied full power and inadvertently raised the flaps from 30 degrees to zero degrees. As the pilot increased the pitch of the airplane to perform the go-around, the airplane drifted off the left side of the runway and settled into a grassy area. The airplane collided with a tree and sustained substantial damage to the wings and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, the landing approach was normal. However, during the landing touchdown the airplane bounced and the pilot decided to perform a go-around. He applied full power and inadvertently raised the flaps from 30 degrees to zero degrees. As the pilot increased the pitch of the airplane to perform the go around, the airplane drifted off the left side of the runway and settled into a grassy area to the left of the runway. The airplane collided with a tree which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6871H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265621
- Airframe hours
- 7,413
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Fare Share Ltd
- Registered owner
- Fare Share Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 6, 2012
- Departed
- ZER · Pottsville, PA
- Destination
- PTW · Pottstown, PA
- Airport
- PTW · Heritage Field Airport, runway 28, 3,380 × 75 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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 5, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 175 total · 18 in this make and model · 60 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- PTW
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 7, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 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.