- Date
- March 12, 2020, 11:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Ocean City, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N52232Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 29, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200312005379A
- Case key
- 101137
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 during an attempted go-around to avoid birds, which resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent nose-over.
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 helicopter pilot was conducting his first solo cross-country flight in an airplane. He reported that some birds moved over the runway as he was about to land the airplane. He applied full power and retracted the flaps to initiate a go-around; however, the airplane touched down and departed the left side of the runway onto grass. The airplane's nose and both wings impacted terrain, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that some birds moved over the runway when he was about to land the airplane. He applied full power and retracted the flaps to initiate a go-around procedure; however, the airplane touched down and departed the left side of the runway. The nose and both wings impacted the grass before the airplane came to rest upright.The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The student pilot, who also held a commercial pilot certificate in rotorcraft, reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52232
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10870
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 7,762.5
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Infinity Flight School
- Registered owner
- Mustang Sally Aviation Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 28, 2020
- Departed
- WWD · Wildwood, NJ
- Destination
- OXB · Ocean City, MD
- Airport
- OXB · Ocean City Muni, runway 14, 4,074 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Stall warning system
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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 350 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- OXB
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 24, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.