- Date
- May 23, 2008, 12:22 local (16:22 UTC)
- Place
- Savannah, GA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73471Cessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA College Park FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080523834069A
- Case key
- 68072
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 failure to maintain directional control on landing touchdown with a crosswind.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated he was en route on a cross country visual flight rules flight to Florida. He encountered some weather and elected to divert to Savannah, Georgia. He was cleared to land on runway 36 with a left crosswind. The airplane bounced on touchdown and he lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane touched back down on the runway, went off the right side of the runway, collapsed the left main landing gear, and received structural damage to the left wing. The pilot stated there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The surface winds at the airport were 220-degree at 5 knots and no wind gusts.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated he was en-route on a cross country visual flight rules flight to Florida. He encountered some weather and elected to divert to Savannah, Georgia. He was cleared to land on runway 36 with a left crosswind. The airplane bounced on touchdown and he lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane touched back down on the runway, went off the right side of the runway, collapsed the left main landing gear, and received structural damage to the left wing. The pilot stated there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The surface winds at the airport were 220-degree at 5 knots and no wind gusts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73471
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267487
- Airframe hours
- 5,543
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hollis D.Fedrick
- Registered owner
- J and H Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2008 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- KRBW · Walterboro, SC
- Destination
- KSAV · Savannah, GA
- Airport
- KSAV · Savannah/Hilton Head Int, runway 36, 7,002 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 640 total · 52 in this make and model · 533 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAV, 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.