- Date
- August 14, 2018, 17:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- DePere, WI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1085UCessna 172
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180814015229A
- Case key
- 98074
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 lateral control and his subsequent failure to maintain the runway heading during an attempted go-around, which resulted in impact with trees.
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, during landing, the airplane touched down and suddenly "pitched and lifted to the right." He added power to go around, but the airplane climbed and "turned way more to the left." The airplane impacted trees, spun, and dropped onto terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane touched down and suddenly "pitched and lifted to the right". He added power to go around, but the airplane climbed and "turned way more to the left". The airplane impacted trees, spun, and dropped onto terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1085U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17266834
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 8,001
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 14, 2018
- Departed
- GRB · Green Bay, WI
- Destination
- WS43 · DePere, WI
- Airport
- WS43 · Birch Creek, runway 26, 2,800 × 50 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot
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
- 69
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 27, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 199.8 total · 185.5 in this make and model · 13.1 in the last 90 days · 13.1 in the last 30 days · 6.3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KGRB, 8 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 31, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 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.