# NTSB NYC00LA102: Cessna 172, N52633, Farmingdale, NJ, March 24, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 24, 2000, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Farmingdale, NJ - Location: 40.1868° N, 74.1246° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MONMOUTH EXEC (BLM), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1868&lon=-74.1246&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 29, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 48870 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC00LA102 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/48870/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC00LA102 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A factor in the accident was the pilot's use of excessive nose-down elevator trim. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command - elevator trim - excessive, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Hard landing, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis After the pilot taxied onto the runway for departure, he set the elevator trim wheel 1/2 inch nose down, announced his departure, and applied full power. He reported that he 'felt nose-down pressure from the beginning of the takeoff roll.' As the airplane accelerated, the pilot 'wound off the trim' and at 55 knots, the airplane rotated. The pilot stated that immediately after takeoff, the airplane dove toward the runway. It struck the runway and bounced twice. The airplane then experienced a 'small bounce', and landed on the main gear. The pilot stated that he experienced no flight control difficulties prior to the accident, and reported that the accident could have been caused by many possibilities, including, '...a stall, excessive nose-down trim, or a relaxed yoke.' Additionally, the pilot stated his normal procedure for takeoff was to apply about 1/2 inch of nose-down trim, to 'keep the airplane on the runway.' After the accident, the elevator trim wheel was rotated without restriction, and examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact failure of the flight controls. ## Factual narrative On March 24, 2000, about 1600 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 172, N52633, was substantially damaged during takeoff from the Allaire Airport (BLM), Farmingdale, New Jersey. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, the flight originated at the Lakewood Airport (N12), Lakewood, New Jersey. The pilot then flew to BLM to pick up a passenger for a local flight. While he waited for the passenger to arrive, the pilot decided he would practice touch-and-go landings in the traffic pattern. He performed a preflight check and taxied to Runway 14, "without performing a run-up check." After he taxied onto the runway, the pilot set the elevator trim wheel 1/2 inch nose down, announced his departure, and applied full power. The pilot reported that he "felt nose-down pressure from the beginning of the takeoff roll." As the airplane accelerated, the pilot "wound off the trim" and at 55 knots, the airplane rotated. The pilot stated that immediately after takeoff, about 20 feet above the ground, the airplane dove toward the runway. The airplane struck the runway centerline with the nose gear, and bounced to "about the same altitude." The pilot reduced the power to idle, and applied full back pressure; however, the airplane entered a shallower dive than the first time, and again struck the runway centerline with the nose gear. The airplane then experienced a "small bounce" off the runway, and landed on the main gear. The pilot reported that rudder and yoke movement was hampered by "binding," as he taxied to the ramp. The pilot stated that he experienced no flight control difficulties prior to the accident. He reported that the accident could have been caused by many possibilities, including, "...a stall, excessive nose-down trim, or a relaxed yoke." Additionally, the pilot stated his normal procedure for takeoff was to apply about 1/2 inch of nose-down trim, to "keep the airplane on the runway." According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector who examined the airplane after the accident, the nose gear was driven upward, which wrinkled the firewall, and "jammed" the flight controls. There was also a "chunk" taken out of the propeller. The elevator trim wheel was rotated without restriction, and no pre-impact failure of the flight controls was revealed. The pilot reported 430 hours of total flight experience, 420 of which were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The winds reported at BLM, at the time of the accident, were from 150 degrees, at 10 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: N52633 (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17274572 - Airframe hours: 4290 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Obrien Aviation Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, March 8, 2000, 10 hours before - Departed: BLM, NJ - Airport: BLM, Allaire Airport, runway 14, 7,300 × 80 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 66; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 430 total, 423 in this make and model, 264 as pilot in command, 10 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 28 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: BLM ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000324043679A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000324043679A), Mar 24, 2000: Cessna 172P, Belmar/Farmingd, NJ, Substantial damage. (-23) According to the pilot, the flight originated at the lakewood airport (N12), lakewood, new jersey. The pilot then flew to blm to pick up a passenger for… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.