- Date
- April 11, 1994, 16:44 local (23:44 UTC)
- Place
- Elko, NV
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N54006Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940411000399A
- Case key
- 28715
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 student pilot's improper use of the throttle and flap controls during a bounced landing recovery, and, his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which led to an inadvertent stall/spin.
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 student's flight instructor witnessed the accident. He reported that the student was on his second supervised solo and had performed four or five takeoffs and landings. On the accident landing, the airplane 'bounced fairly high.' The student then started a left turn with the power reduced and the flaps extended. The flight instructor stated that he used the radio in an attempt to tell the student to add power, retract the flaps, and lower the aircraft nose; however, the student did not seem to respond to the instructions. The turn continued until the aircraft entered a stall, then impacted the ground nose first. The aircraft was examined by federal aviation administration inspectors who reported that no discrepancies were found.
Factual narrative
On April 11, 1994, at 1644 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N54006, collided with the ground following a loss of control in the takeoff initial climb at the Elko, Nevada, airport. The aircraft was owned and operated by El Aero Services, Inc., of Elko, Nevada, and was rented by the pilot for a local area solo instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage and the student pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The flight originated at the Elko airport on the day of the accident at 1545 hours.
The student's flight instructor witnessed the accident. He reported that the student was on his second supervised solo and had performed four or five takeoffs and landings. On the accident landing, the pilot "bounced fairly high." The student then started a left turn with the power reduced and the flaps extended. The flight instructor stated that he used the radio in an attempt to tell the student to add power, retract the flaps, and lower the aircraft nose; however, the student did not seem to respond to the instructions. The turn continued until the aircraft entered a stall, then impacted the ground nose first.
The aircraft was examined by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors who reported that no discrepancies were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54006
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274839
- Airframe hours
- 4,703
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- El Aero Services, Inc.
- Registered owner
- El Aero Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 29, 1994 · 29 hours before
- Airport
- EKO · J.C. Harris Field, runway 23, 7,211 × 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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 19 total · 19 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EKO, 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.