- Date
- June 7, 1992, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mariposa, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3144TCessna 177A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920607019109A
- Case key
- 27642
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 poorly planned approach for landing, his failure to initiate a go-around, his failure to obtain the proper touchdown point, his misjudgment of the touchdown flare, and his improper recovery from a bounced landing. A factor in this accident was the pilot's lack of total aeronautical expereince.
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
In an interview, the pilot said that while he was in the traffic pattern to land, he turned base too soon. He said the airplane's airspeed was a little fast and he was a little high. He said he placed the airplane in a slip. He said he leveled the airplane over the runway numbers, but the airspeed was about 20 miles per hour too fast. He said he landed the airplane hard on all three landing gear and the airplane began to porpoise. He said the airplane 'bounced about 4 to 5 times.' He also said his lack of total experience did not help and that he probably should have executed a go-around.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3144T
- Reported as
- Cessna 177A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17700444
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert G. Fairbourn
- Registered owner
- Robert G. Fairbourn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- FCH · Fresno, CA
- Airport
- 068 · Mariposa, runway 8, 3,310 × 50 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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 100 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.