- Date
- March 31, 1992, 08:16 local (15:16 UTC)
- Place
- Prescott, AZ
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N250ERCessna 172N267ERCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA reports
- 19920331007921A19920331007922A
- Case key
- 27585
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 other airplane's flight instructor's poor supervision of the flight; the other airplane's flight instructor's and dual student's misidentification of the airplane the student pilot was following and the other airplane's flight instructor's and dual student's poor visual lookout.
The flight instructor's poor supervision of the flight; the flight instructor's and dual student's misidentification of the other airplane and the flight instructor's and dual student's poor visual lookout. Contributing to this accident was the soft, rough and uneven terrain.
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
Both airplanes were in the tower controlled traffic pattern; one airplane was on a left downwind with a CFI, dual student, and a student pilot/observer occupying the rear seat; the other airplane was on a right downwind and was being flown by a solo student pilot. The local controller cleared the solo student pilot on the right downwind to land following an airplane to the student pilot's left. The local controller then cleared the dual student's flight to follow the solo student airplane's on the right downwind. The dual student's flight acknowledged the clearance, but both pilots misidentified the solo student's airplane and began following the airplane ahead of and to the left of the solo student's airplane. After the local controller cleared the solo student to land he then cleared the dual student's flight to follow the solo student's airplane. The dual student's flight followed the airplane ahead of the solo student and began to turn onto the final approach. Shortly thereafter the solo student's airplane descended onto the dual student's airplane. The solo student landed on the runway without further incident. The CFI in the dual student's airplane executed a forced landing in the open desert terrain, but nosed over during the landing roll.
Both airplanes were in the tower controlled traffic pattern; one airplane was on a left downwind with a CFI, dual student, and a student pilot/observer occupying the rear seat; the other airplane was on a right downwind and was being flown by a solo student pilot. The local controller cleared the solo student pilot on the right downwind to land following an airplane to the student pilot's left. The local controller then cleared the dual student's flight to follow the solo student airplane's on the right downwind. The dual student's flight acknowledged the clearance, but both pilots misidentified the solo student's airplane and began following the airplane ahead of and to the left of the solo student's airplane. After the local controller cleared the solo student to land he then cleared the dual student's flight to follow the solo student's airplane. The dual student's flight followed the airplane ahead of the solo student and began to turn onto the final approach. Shortly thereafter the solo student's airplane descended onto the dual student's airplane. The solo student landed on the runway without further incident. The CFI in the dual student's airplane executed a forced landing in the open desert terrain, but nosed over during the landing roll.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N250ER
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17270499
- Airframe hours
- 6,448
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Unv
- Registered owner
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Unv
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 17, 1992 · 28 hours before
- Airport
- PRC · Ernest A. Love Field, runway 21, 7,601 × 150 ft, asphalt
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.
- Registration
- N267ER
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1727056D
- Airframe hours
- 4,736
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Unv
- Registered owner
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Unv
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 16, 1992 · 38 hours before
- Airport
- PRC · Ernest A. Love Field, runway 21, 7,616 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N250ER
- Age
- 23
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 700 in this make and model · 1,515 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N267ER
- Age
- 19
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 61 total · 61 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PRC, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.