- Date
- December 27, 2015, 16:20 local (Dec 28, 2015, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Grass Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N29533Cessna 177
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
- FAA report
- 20151227021169A
- Case key
- 92507
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 loss of directional control during the touchdown and the subsequent attempted aborted landing which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with terrain.
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
The pilot reported that he flew the airport traffic pattern to final approach. While on final approach, the pilot trimmed the airplane to a nose-high pitch attitude and his view of the runway was obscured. The pilot reported that he believed the airplane's airspeed dropped below the aerodynamic stall speed and the airplane yawed to the left. When the airplane touched down on the runway, the pilot reported that the airplane veered left, he applied full power in an attempt to abort the landing. The airplane continued to veer left, exited the left side of the runway and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, right horizontal stabilizer and right elevator. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he flew the airport traffic pattern to final approach. While on final approach, the pilot trimmed the airplane to a nose-high pitch attitude and his view of the runway was obscured. The pilot reported that he believed the airplane's airspeed dropped below the aerodynamic stall speed and the airplane yawed to the left. When the airplane touched down on the runway, the pilot reported that the airplane veered left, he applied full power in an attempt to abort the landing. The airplane continued to veer left, exited the left side of the runway and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, right horizontal stabilizer and right elevator. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29533
- Reported as
- Cessna 177 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17700947
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 4,186
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 2015
- Departed
- OXR · Oxnard, CA
- Destination
- GOO · Grass Valley, CA
- Airport
- GOO · Nevada County Air Park, runway 07, 4,351 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, 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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 22, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,027 total · 700 in this make and model · 967 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KBLU, 14 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 8, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.7 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.