- Date
- December 7, 1993, 14:05 local (22:05 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Monica, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N52039Cessna 177RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931207052209A
- Case key
- 28617
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 attain the proper touchdown point and improper recovery from a bounced landing.
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
The airplane touched down at midfield and began to bounce. Witnesses reported the airplane was traveling at a high airspeed. After arresting the bounced landing, the pilot attempted to stop the airplane on the remaining runway. The airplane overran the runway and went down an enbankment.
Factual narrative
On December 7, 1993, at 1405 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 177RG, N52039, overran runway 21 at Santa Monica Airport, Santa Monica, California. The pilot was completing a visual flight rules personal flight. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Carson City Airport, Carson City, Nevada, at 1040 hours.
Ground witnesses reported that the airplane landed "long and fast." The airplane bounced three times and then exited the departure end of the runway.
The pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2, that he became confused with the local controller's instructions, but ultimately entered the downwind leg. The pilot said that the prevailing haze conditions obscured his vision until the airplane descended below 1,000 feet mean sea level.
He continued the approach and landed at midfield, but the airplane bounced two times. After arresting the bounced landing, with about 1,200 feet of runway remaining, the pilot elected to continue the landing maneuver. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane on the runway. The airplane overran the end of the runway and came to rest down the embankment.
He also indicated in the accident report form that the airplane did not experience any mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52039
- Reported as
- Cessna 177RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 177RG-1147
- Airframe hours
- 2,403
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stanke, William A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Provisional (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 8, 1992 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- O04 · Carson City, NV
- Airport
- SMO · Santa Monica Municipal, runway 21, 4,987 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 603 total · 602 in this make and model · 526 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SMO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.