- Date
- April 22, 1994, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sedona, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2946ECessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 3, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940422010549A
- Case key
- 28737
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 cfi's improper level off during landing. The tailwind was a factor.
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 CFI stated that he was demonstrating a short field landing to his student on runway 3 with a known tailwind component of 6-10 KTS. During flare the expected ground effect cushion was not evident, and the aircraft landed hard damaging the firewall.
Factual narrative
On April 22, 1994, at 1300 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N2946E, landed hard during a short field landing demonstration at the Sedona, Arizona, airport. Subsequent inspection of the aircraft revealed substantial internal structural damage. The aircraft was operated by Aerovision, Inc., of Sedona, Arizona, and was on a local area dual instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. Neither the certificated commercial pilot flight instructor nor the dual primary student were injured. The flight originated at the Sedona airport on the day of the accident at 1230 hours.
In his written statement, the flight instructor said he was demonstrating a short field landing to his student on runway 3 with a known tailwind component of 6 to 10 knots. The instructor said that during the flare the expected ground effect cushion was not evident and the aircraft landed hard.
The National Transportation Safety Board was notified of the accident on May 10, 1994, by the operator after the extent of the damage was discovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2946E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17271380
- Airframe hours
- 6,010
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aerovision
- Registered owner
- Aerovision
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 8, 1994 · 10 hours before
- Airport
- SEZ · Sedona, runway 3, 5,131 × 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
- 40
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,678 total · 112 in this make and model · 1,385 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 6 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2946E · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.