- Date
- March 26, 2015, 16:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Meade, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7889NCessna R172E
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20150326004519A
- Case key
- 90969
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 flight instructor's decision to land the airplane without sufficient runway to stop, resulting in a runway excursion and substantial damage to the right wing of the airplane.
Findings · 4
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, while giving instruction, stated he landed the tricycle landing gear equipped airplane at midfield in wind conditions that were reported from the SSW gusting to 23knots. Following a runway excursion on to soft terrain, the pilot said the airplane had come to a stop, undamaged, when "the nose wheel sank and the right wingtip contacted the dirt." Witnesses reported that the airplane touched down midfield, braked hard, and did not come to a complete stop prior to the airplanes right wing striking the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to flight that would have prevented normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor, while giving instruction, stated he landed the tricycle landing gear equipped airplane at midfield in wind conditions that were reported from the SSW gusting to 23knots. Following a runway excursion on to soft terrain, the pilot said the airplane had come to a stop, undamaged, when "the nose wheel sank and the right wingtip contacted the dirt." Witnesses reported that the airplane touched down midfield, braked hard, and did not come to a complete stop prior to the airplanes right wing striking the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to flight that would have prevented normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7889N
- Reported as
- Cessna R172E (E)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R172-0280
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 19,375
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-360 SER, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- United States Air Force Owner, doing business as Fort Meade Flying Activity
- Registered owner
- United States Air Force Owner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 26, 2014 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- KFME · Fort Meade, MD
- Destination
- KFME · Fort Meade, MD
- Flight plan
- VFR/IFR
- Airport
- KFME · Tipton, runway 28, 3,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 14, 2014
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 7 total · 5 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.62 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI, 7 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 20, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.7 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.