- Date
- July 3, 1992, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tonopah, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4417LCessna 172G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 28314
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 failure of the pilot to adequately identify and compensate for the existing tailwind conditions, and, his failure to initiate a go around when he became aware of being high with a fast ground speed.
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
According to the pilot, he planned to land in a farm field to survey some farm land prior to bidding on a grain harvesting job. He stated that after arriving in the area he overflew the field selected for the landing several times looking for obstructions and some way to identify the wind direction. In his statement he indicated that he found no means to identify the wind direction or speed and estimated it to be calm or nearly so. During the final approach to the field the pilot said he noticed that the airplane was high and had an apparent fast ground speed, however, he elected not to perform a go around. After touchdown, the aircraft could not stop prior to the end of the field and it collided with a power pole and rough terrain. The pilot said that after the accident he noticed that he had landed with a tailwind he estimated at about 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 5, 1992, at about 0930 hours PDT, a Cessna 172G, N4417L, collided on the ground with a power pole and rough terrain during an attempted landing in a farm field near Tonopah, Nevada. The aircraft was owned and operated by Fallon Airmotive of Fallon, Nevada, and was rented by the pilot for a cross country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed for the operation, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The certificated private pilot and his one passenger were not injured. The flight originated at Cedar City, Utah, on the day of the accident at about 0800 hours as a planned trip back to Fallon, Nevada, with an intentional stop at the accident site.
According to the pilot, he planned to land in the field to survey some farm land prior to bidding on a grain harvesting job. He stated that after arriving in the area he overflew the field selected for the landing several times looking for obstructions and some way to identify the wind direction. In his statement he indicated that he found no means to identify the wind direction or speed and estimated it to be calm or nearly so. During the final approach to the field the pilot said he noticed that the airplane was high and had an apparent fast ground speed, however, he elected not to perform a go around. After touchdown, the aircraft could not stop prior to the end of the field and it collided with a power pole and rough terrain.
The pilot said that after the accident he discovered that he had landed with a tailwind he estimated at about 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4417L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17254504
- Airframe hours
- 2,513
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Fallon Airmotive
- Registered owner
- Kenneth G. Warner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 18, 1992 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- CDC · Cedar City, UT
- Destination
- FLX · Fallon, NV
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- NONE · Dirt Field
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
- 210 total · 72 in this make and model · 160 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
Other investigations on N4417L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.