LAX94LA086

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172N · El Monte, CA · December 30, 1993

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
December 30, 1993, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
Place
El Monte, CA
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N7553ECessna 172N
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report September 13, 1994
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19931230047449A
Case key
28631

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff and improper use of the airplane's throttle.

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.

OverrunTakeoff - aborted
Aborted takeoff - delayedPilot in commandCause
Throttle/power control - improper use ofPilot in commandCause
On ground/water collision with objectLanding - roll
Object - fence
Object - tree(s)

Analysis

The pilot aborted takeoff during a touch-and-go maneuver and overran the runway at the departure end. Witnesses heard the engine accelerate during the abort attempt. The pilot applied the brakes before retarding the throttle. The airplane lost traction when the braking action could not overcome the engine power which extended the landing roll.

Factual narrative

On December 30, 1993, at 1230 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N7553E, collided with the airport perimeter fence and a tree after experiencing an on-round loss of control during an aborted takeoff from runway 19 at the El Monte Airport, El Monte, California. The certificated private pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings at the time. The airplane, operated by Aero Association of CalTech, Inc., Pasadena, California, was substantially damaged. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The winds were reported calm.

The pilot indicated that he had landed, configured the airplane for takeoff while rolling, and added full power. The pilot stated the airplane's acceleration appeared slow and did not reach the fifty-seven (57) knots rotation speed as anticipated. The pilot decided to abort the takeoff at a predetermined GO/NO-GO point located about 1,000 feet from the runway's departure end.

When the pilot applied the airplane's brakes, the airplane swerved to the left and entered a newly resurfaced taxiway. The airplane slid off the taxiway's left shoulder adjacent to the runway's departure end and struck the fence and tree.

According to the pilot, the left main landing gear tire left solid skid marks on the runway and the right main landing gear tire left intermittent skid marks.

Witnesses told National Transportation Safety Board investigators they heard the airplane accelerating after hearing the tires begin to squeal during brake application. The witnesses also said the pilot did not fully close the throttle until the airplane was about 150 feet from the departure end of runway 19.

Aircraft

Registration
N7553E
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Category
Airplane
Serial number
172 272106
Airframe hours
3,713
Engine
Continental O-360-A4M, 180 lbs thrust, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Aero Assn Of Caltech, Inc.
Registered owner
Mc Andrew, William
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · November 4, 1993 · 41 hours before
Departed
EMT
Destination
EMT
Airport
EMT · El Monte, runway 19, 4,000 × 75 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
33
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
96 total · 3 in this make and model · 35 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
50 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
EM, 1 nm away

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.