- Date
- April 29, 1990, 08:35 local (13:35 UTC)
- Place
- Ames, IA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8472XCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900429014909A
- Case key
- 34972
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 wrong runway was selected and directional control was not maintained by the pilot in command.
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
Upon arriving at his destination apt, with strong, gusty, southeast surface winds reported, the newly certificated pvt plt attempted to land downwind on runway 31. Unable to land, the pilot returned and attempted to land on runway 19. Directional control was lost on the roll out, and the acft veered off the runway and collided with a ditch, injuring the plt and pax and sustaining substantial damage to the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8472X
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17248972
- Airframe hours
- 4,904
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Nieman, Robert K.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 10, 1989 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- C77 · Belvidere, IL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- AMW · Ames, runway 19, 3,747 × 160 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 78 total · 9 in this make and model · 28 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DSM, 20 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.