FTW03LA177

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172M · Bristow, OK · June 25, 2003

Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 25, 2003, 13:55 local (18:55 UTC)
Place
Bristow, OK
Injuries
2 serious
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N20679Cessna 172M
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report September 30, 2003
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Cessna Aircraft Company, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20030625018599A
Case key
57307

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's premature retracting of the flaps, and his failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Flare - highPilot passenger
Loss of control - in flightLanding - aborted
Raising of flaps - prematurePilot in commandCause
Airspeed - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Stall - inadvertentPilot in commandCause
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled
Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

While en route to Oklahoma City, the pilot decided to permit a pilot-rated passenger to practice touch-and go landings at Jones Memorial Airport, Oklahoma. The pilot-rated passenger, who was manipulating the controls and occupying the left seat, flared high and the airplane bounced twice. On the second bounce, the airplane veered across the runway. The pilot, who was in the right seat, announced that he was taking over the controls of the airplane to initiate a go-round. During the go-around, the pilot turned the airplane left, applied full power, and lifted the flap lever intending to take out 10 degrees of the 40 degrees that was set for landing. However, the pilot inadvertently took out more than 10 degrees. The airplane drifted left of the runway and descended until the right wing tip struck the ground. The pilot made a correction to the left, but the airplane stalled and pivoted nearly 180 degrees before coming to rest approximately 100 yards east of the runway. The pilot reported the wind to be from 120 degrees at 7-10 knots, and the investigator calculated the density altitude to be 3,278 feet at the time of the accident. Examination of the wreckage indicated from the position of the flap-actuator that the flaps were in the retracted position.

Factual narrative

On June 25, 2003, approximately 1355 central daylight time, a Cessna 172M single-engine airplane, N20679, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground east of runway 17 following a loss of control while landing at Jones Memorial Airport (3F7), near Bristow, Oklahoma. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to Landed Gentry Development, Inc., of Burlington, Washington, and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed Branson, Missouri, approximately 1200, with a planned destination to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The 1,111-hour pilot occupied the right seat, and the 243-hour pilot-rated passenger occupied the left seat. While en route, the pilot decided to permit the pilot-rated passenger to practice touch-and-go landings on runway 17 (3,400 feet long and 45 feet wide) at the Jones Memorial Airport. According to the pilot, during the first landing, the pilot-rated passenger flared high and the airplane bounced twice. On the second bounce, as the airplane veered across the runway, the pilot announced that he was taking over the controls of the airplane to initiate a go-around. When initiating the go-around procedure, the pilot turned the airplane left, applied full power, and lifted the flap selector lever intending to take out 10 degrees of flaps of the 40 degrees that were set for landing. The airplane drifted left of the runway and descended until the right wing tip struck the ground. The pilot then made a correction to the left, but the airplane stalled and pivoted nearly 180 degrees before coming to rest approximately 100 yards east of the runway.

With a temperature at 34 degrees Celsius, field elevation of 851 feet, and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches of mercury, the investigator-in-charge calculated the density altitude to be 3,278 feet at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that the wind was from 120 degrees at 7-10 knots.

On the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the pilot stated that it appeared that he inadvertently took out more that 10 degrees, "of course, increasing the stall speed." Upon exiting the airplane, both pilots noticed a fire under the engine, but were able to clear the wreckage before the airplane caught fire.

Examination of the wreckage by the aircraft manufacturer revealed, from the position of the flap-actuator, that the flaps were in the retracted position.

Aircraft

Registration
N20679
Reported as
Cessna 172M
Category
Airplane
Serial number
20679
Airframe hours
3,300
Engine
Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Fire
On-Ground
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Kendall D. Gentry
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · July 15, 2002 · 110 hours before
Departed
PLK · Branson, MO
Destination
3F7 · Bristow, OK
Airport
3F7 · Jones Memorial Airport, runway 17, 3,400 × 45 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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
54
Injuries
Serious
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
November 6, 2001
Seat
Right
Flight hours
1,111 total · 1,051 in this make and model · 1,035 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Role
Co-pilot
Age
54
Injuries
Serious
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
August 29, 2002
Seat
Left
Flight hours
243 total · 144 in this make and model · 206 as pilot in command

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
200° at 15 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
93 °F, dew point 72 °F
Altimeter
29.95 inHg
Observed at
OKM, 28 nm away

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.