- Date
- May 31, 2004, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7PPCessna 177B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040531008359A
- Case key
- 59338
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 inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions, which resulted in a loss of directional control.
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.
Analysis
During the landing roll the airplane departed the runway to the right and hit a ditch. The Unicom reported winds from the northwest at 10 knots, and runway 01 in use. The pilot overflew the runway, checked the windsock, and entered for left traffic on runway 01. The pilot executed a go-around because of the wind. He came around for another attempt. As the left main wheel touched down, a gust of wind pushed the airplane off of the right side of the runway into rough terrain. The airplane collided with a rocky ditch, and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 2004, about 1000 mountain standard time, a Cessna 177B, N7PP, came to rest inverted after a loss of directional control on landing at Valle Airport (40G), Grand Canyon, Arizona. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal cross-country flight originated from Ernest A. Love Field Airport (PRC), Prescott, Arizona, after a stop at Seligman Airport (P23), Seligman, Arizona, with the final destination of 40G . Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot submitted a Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2). He stated that he and a friend in another airplane had flown to Seligman for breakfast, and then to Valle. The Unicom reported winds from the northwest at 10 knots, and runway 01 in use. The pilot overflew the runway, checked the windsock, and entered for left traffic on runway 01.
The pilot executed a go-around because of the wind. His friend landed, so he continued for another attempt. As the left main wheel touched down, a gust of wind pushed the airplane off of the right side of the runway into rough terrain. The airplane collided with a rocky ditch, and nosed over.
The official weather observation for the airport at 0947 was reporting winds from 250 degrees at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7PP
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17702368
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wallace Nispel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- P23 · Seligman, AZ
- Destination
- 40G · Grand Canyon, AZ
- Airport
- 40G · Valle Airport, runway 01
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
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 1,650 in this make and model · 34 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.