- Date
- March 23, 1991, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Clewiston, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N739BWCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910323007229A
- Case key
- 32838
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
Misjudged wind direction resulting in incorrect runway selection and failure by the PIC to initiate a go-around after landing with a tailwind. Contributing to the accident was the lack of the pilot's total experience.
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 110-HR pvt plt misjudged the wind direction as indicated by the windsock & landed with a 10-15 kt tailwind. After touchdown he was unable to stop the acft before it travelled off the rwy into a ditch, then nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N739BW
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17270422
- Airframe hours
- 1,855
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-42AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kirk, Chris H.
- Registered owner
- Kirk, Chris H.
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 15, 1991 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- TMB · Miami, FL
- Airport
- X53 · Clewiston, runway 32, 3,010 × 60 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
- 26
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 110 total · 10 in this make and model · 50 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft unknown
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 46 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.