NYC05LA024

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172R · Martinsburg, WV · November 21, 2004

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
November 21, 2004, 15:10 local (20:10 UTC)
Place
Martinsburg, WV
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N5294WCessna 172R
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report September 13, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA Baltomore FSDO
FAA report
20041121034989A
Case key
60635

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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.

Loss of engine powerLanding
Reason for occurrence undeterminedCause
Forced landingDescent - emergency
On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterEmergency landing
Terrain condition - ground
Nose gear collapsedEmergency landing

Analysis

The airplane was on approach to a 7,000-foot-long, 150-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The pilot reported that the airplane was configured with full flaps, a power setting of 1,200 rpm, and was at an airspeed "just below 70 knots," when he realized that the propeller was wind-milling. He advanced the throttle; however, the engine did not respond. The airplane was about 15 feet above, and 300 to 400 feet down the runway, when the pilot began a landing flare. The airplane touched down on the main landing gear, bounced, and then touched down on the main and nose landing gear. The nose gear collapsed, and the airplane slid off the right side of the runway, onto a grass area. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. In addition, a subsequent teardown, and test run of the engine did not reveal any discrepancies.

Factual narrative

On November 21, 2004, about 1510 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172R, N5294W, was substantially damaged while landing at the Eastern WV Regional Airport, Martinsburg, West Virginia. The certificated private pilot and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed the Leesburg Executive Airport, Leesburg, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The airplane was on approach to runway 26, a 7,000-foot-long, 150-foot-wide, asphalt runway.

According to the pilot, the airplane was configured with full flaps, a power setting of 1,200 rpm, and was at an airspeed "just below 70 knots," when he realized that the propeller was wind-milling. He advanced the throttle; however, the engine did not respond. The airplane was about 15 feet above, and 300 to 400 feet down the runway, when the pilot began a landing flare. The airplane touched down on the main landing gear, bounced, and then touched down on the main and nose landing gear. The nose gear collapsed, and the airplane slid off the right side of the runway, onto a grass area.

The nose gear was pushed through the engine firewall, and the propeller contacted the ground.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. In addition, a subsequent teardown, and test run of the engine did not reveal any discrepancies.

The airplane had been operated for about 7 hours since it's most recent annual inspection, which was performed on November 10, 2004.

The pilot obtained his private pilot license on October 8, 2004. He reported 105 hours of total flight experience, which included about 92 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.

Aircraft

Registration
N5294W
Reported as
Cessna 172R
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17281186
Airframe hours
601
Engine
Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Av-Ed Flight School, Inc.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · November 1, 2004 · 7 hours before
Departed
JYO · Leesburg, VA
Destination
MRB · Martinsburg, WV
Airport
MRB · Eastern WV Regional, runway 26, 7,000 × 150 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
47
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
October 1, 2004
Seat
Left
Flight hours
105 total · 92 in this make and model · 24 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
9 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
7,000 ft overcast
Temperature
59 °F, dew point 54 °F
Altimeter
30.21 inHg
Observed at
MRB

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.