- Date
- April 28, 2017, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, KY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N64144Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 20, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170428008549A
- Case key
- 95091
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 a flare during landing in variable, gusting wind conditions.
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 pilot reported that, while on his second attempt to land in gusting wind conditions, the airplane was "tossed" up and then a "downdraft" caused the airplane to "descend rapidly." He added full power; however, the airplane landed hard, the nose and right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the weather at the accident site, about the time of the accident, was wind variable at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot landed on about a 310° heading.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while on his second attempt to land in gusting wind conditions, the airplane was "tossed" up and then a "downdraft" caused the airplane to "descend rapidly". He added full power, however the airplane landed hard, the nose and right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported the weather at the accident site, about the time of the accident, as wind variable at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot landed on about a 310° heading.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N64144
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265045
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 5,900
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 20, 2017
- Departed
- I53 · Liberty, KY
- Destination
- Columbia, KY
- Airport
- runway 31, 1,600 × 75 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Onboard weather
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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 29, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5,090 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 4,776 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 0.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KEKQ, 25 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 22, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.0 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.