- Date
- July 13, 1989, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Forest, MS
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3905LCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890713022439A
- Case key
- 32462
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain runway alignment and partial loss of power from water in the fuel. Contributing factors were: uneven runway, pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, a gusty crosswind condition, and trees.
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 plt stated he was making a touch-&-go lndg, when the acft hit a rough place on the rwy & was 'catapulted' back into the air. He stated that at that time, the acft encountered a 'strong gusting x-wind' that caused him to lose directional control. He applied full throttle, but believed the eng was not developing full power. Subsequently, the acft hit a tree & crashed. An exam of the carburetor revealed a substantial amount of water. Aprx 37 mi east at jackson, MS, the wind was from 240 deg at 7 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3905L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17254074
- Airframe hours
- 5,749
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sawyer, James C.
- Registered owner
- Sawyer, James C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1989 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- 2M4
- Airport
- 2M4 · Forest Muni, runway 16, 3,600 × 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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,624 total · 680 in this make and model · 1,560 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JAN, 37 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 N3905L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.