- Date
- August 8, 2004, 14:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4599DCessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Allentown FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040808022909A
- Case key
- 59858
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 student pilot's improper flare and improper recover from a bounced landing. Factors in this accident were the crosswind condition and the partial failure of the airplane's transceiver, as reported by the pilot.
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 student pilot contacted air traffic control (ATC), and was instructed to enter a right downwind for runway 4, a 7,501-foot-long, 150-foot-wide, asphalt runway. Shortly thereafter, the airplane's radio's stopped working. The student pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem, and was able to receive, but not transmit over the radio. He elected to land on runway 4, however, he overheard ATC clear another airplane to land, that was on a 5 mile final approach. The student pilot stated that he was "nervous" about the other airplane, turned a very early base leg, and approached "high and fast." The airplane contacted the runway hard, and began to bounce. It then departed the right side of the runway. Examination of the airplane, which included a radio check, did not reveal any discrepancies. A weather observation taken at the airport, about the time of the accident, included winds from 340 degrees at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
On August 8, 2004, about 1445 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N4599D, was substantially damaged while landing at the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton International Airport (AVP), Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the solo instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR part 91.
The student pilot stated that he contacted air traffic control (ATC), and was instructed to enter a right downwind for runway 4, a 7,501-foot-long, 150-foot-wide, asphalt runway. Shortly thereafter, the airplane's radio stopped working. The student pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem, and was able to receive, but not transmit. He elected to land on runway 4, however, he overheard ATC clear another airplane to land, that was on a 5 mile final approach. The student pilot stated that he was "nervous" about the other airplane, turned a very early base leg, and approached "high and fast." The airplane contacted the runway hard, and began to bounce. It then departed the right side of the runway.
Examination of the airplane, which included a radio check, by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, did not reveal any discrepancies.
The student pilot reported 72.5 hours of total flight experience, all in the same make and model as the accident airplane, which also included 10.8 hours of solo flight experience.
A weather observation taken at AVP, at 1454, included winds from 340 degrees at 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4599D
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172722311
- Airframe hours
- 9,596
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Century Flight Academy
- Registered owner
- Sherman Aviation LLC.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 4, 2004 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- MSV · Monticello, NY
- Destination
- AVP · Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 73 total · 73 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- AVP
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 N4599D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.