- Date
- June 25, 1997, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4293NCessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970625015919A
- Case key
- 29820
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 failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft during a bounced landing recovery.
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
While practicing short field landings, the student pilot made a hard landing and added power to correct the situation during the subsequent bounce. The aircraft veered left, departed the runway, impacted an airport perimeter fence, and subsequently nosed over.
Factual narrative
On June 25, 1997, at 0900 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 140, N4293N, veered off the runway, struck a perimeter fence, and nosed over while attempting a short field landing maneuver at the Columbia, California, airport. The aircraft, operated by Springfield Flying Service, was on a local instructional flight and sustained substantial damage. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight departed Columbia airport at 0800 for the purpose of practicing landings. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the flight and no flight plan was filed.
In her written report, the student pilot reported that she was practicing a ". . .short field landing, bounced and was recovering [the aircraft] something went wrong [and] lost control ran off runway over taxiway into [the perimeter] fence."
The student was interviewed by an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the Fresno, California, Flight Standards District Office. The inspector said the student "described [the landing] as a hard landing after which she added power to smooth it out. . .the aircraft wanted to go left on its own. . . . She attempted to straighten it up, but before she could the airplane struck the airport perimeter fence and nosed over." The FAA inspector stated that the student pilot was questioned regarding short field landings and other flight maneuvers and answered all questions satisfactorily. He reported that he inspected the brakes and found no pre-existing anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4293N
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13764
- Airframe hours
- 6,517
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Springfield Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 12, 1997 · 89 hours before
- Departed
- 022
- Airport
- 022 · Columbia, runway 17, 4,675 × 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 87 total · 52 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK, 41 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.
Other investigations on N4293N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.