- Date
- May 1, 2024, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Westminster, MD · next to runway
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1377UCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240501004279A
- Case key
- 194193
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 attain a proper touchdown point during a simulated loss of engine power approach, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway. Also causal was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during the approach and subsequent aborted 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 flight instructor and the private pilot were practicing a simulated loss of engine power in the airport traffic pattern as part of the private pilot’s flight review. On base leg, the private pilot added 20 degrees of flaps. The flight instructor told the private pilot that he should wait to extend the flaps until he was sure that the airplane would be able to reach the runway, and the private pilot responded that he would be able to reach the runway. The flight instructor did not correct the pilot’s actions and continued with the approach. As the airplane descended on final approach, the airspeed decreased to 60 knots, and the flight instructor realized that the airplane would not be able to reach the runway. A review of airport surveillance video revealed the airplane touched down hard short of the runway surface, bounced, before the engine power increased. The instructor stated that he told the private pilot to go-around, and that the private pilot added full power, carburetor heat, and brought the flaps to 10 degrees. The airplane began to climb, turned to the left, and was in a nose-high pitch attitude. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and attempted to apply remedial control inputs, but they were not effective. The surveillance video showed that after a brief climb low speed climb, the airplane was in a nose-high pitch, left wing low attitude before it descended to ground contact. The airplane subsequently nosed over and the left-wing strut, fuselage, and empennage were substantially damaged. The flight instructor reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1377U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267048
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 21,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wifa (Washington International Flight Academy) LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 12, 2024
- Departed
- GAI · Gaithersburg, MD
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- DMW · Carroll County Rgnl/Jack B Poage Fld, runway 16/34, 5,100 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 37
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 25, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 648 total · 222 in this make and model · 557 as pilot in command · 104 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 8, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 9 in this make and model · 20 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KDMW
- METAR
- METAR KDMW 011840Z AUTO 27005G14KT 10SM CLR 27/11 A2993
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 30, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 111 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.