- Date
- September 19, 1999, 15:23 local (20:23 UTC)
- Place
- Moontown, AL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N734TCCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990919036699A
- Case key
- 47446
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 decision to land on a runway with a quartering tailwind, his failure to obtain the proper touchdown point on the runway, and his delay in aborting the takeoff phase of a touch and go landing, resulting in the aircraft overrunning the runway, colliding with a ditch, and nosing over.
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
After landing on runway 27, during a touch and go landing, the pilot stated there was not enough runway remaining to takeoff again. He aborted the takeoff, overran the runway, collided with a ditch, and nosed over. The wind at the Huntsville Airport, located about 16 miles southwest of the accident site, 27 minutes before the accident, were from 150 degrees at 9 knots.
Factual narrative
On September 19, 1999, about 1523 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N734TC, registered to an individual, and operated by Rocket Aviation, nosed over after over running the runway during landing at Moontown Airport, Moontown, Alabama, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the private-rated pilot and three passengers were not injured. The flight originated from Meridianville, Alabama, the same day, about 1500.
The pilot stated that when he did not receive a response on the unicom frequency at Moontown Airport as to what the active runway was, he flew over the airport and determined that he would land on runway 27. He touched down on runway 27 at normal landing speed and realized he did not have enough runway to take off again. He tried to stop, but the aircraft overran the runway, collided with a ditch, and nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N734TC
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269092
- Airframe hours
- 5,111
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rocket Aviation
- Registered owner
- Michael J. Murphy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 26, 1999 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- M82 · Meridianville, AL
- Destination
- 3M5
- Airport
- 3M5 · Moontown, runway 27, 2,180 × 160 ft, grass/turf
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 207 total · 60 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HSV, 16 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.