- Date
- December 13, 1995, 14:51 local (22:51 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Springs, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N73601Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 18, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951213040519A
- Case key
- 29353
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 inadequate bounced landing recovery technique, which resulted in porpoising during a downwind emergency landing. The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons 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
Tower personnel reported that the aircraft departed runway 31L and had reached 300 to 500 feet above ground level when the pilot radioed that he was experiencing engine difficulty. The pilot made a right 180-degree turn and was cleared to land on parallel runway 13L. The aircraft landed long on the runway and porpoised/bounced, collapsing the nosegear assembly. The aircraft came to rest upright at the departure end of runway 13L. The surface wind was northwesterly at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
On December 13, 1995, at 1451 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172M, N73601, collapsed the nose gear assembly during a forced landing on runway 13L at Palm Springs Regional Airport, Palm Springs, California. The aircraft was substantially damaged; however, the private pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal, local area flight, and no flight plan was filed.
Personnel from the Palm Springs Air Traffic Control Tower reported that the aircraft departed runway 31L and had reached 300 to 500 feet above ground level when the pilot radioed that he was experiencing "engine difficulty." The pilot made a right 180-degree turn and was cleared to land on parallel runway 13L. The aircraft landed long on the runway and porpoised/bounced, collapsing the nose gear assembly. The aircraft came to rest upright at the departure end of runway 13L. The surface wind was northwesterly at 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73601
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267570
- Airframe hours
- 2,438
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John J. Mcquade
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 6, 1995 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- PSP
- Destination
- TRM · Thermal, CA
- Airport
- PSP · Palm Springs Regional, runway 31L, 8,500 × 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
- 69
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 711 total · 671 in this make and model · 604 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PSP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.