NYC94LA115

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172P · Leesburg, VA · July 8, 1994

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 8, 1994, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
Place
Leesburg, VA
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N63021Cessna 172P
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report February 14, 1995
Report
Approved by Office Director
Case key
38782

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 failure to attain adequate airpseed during an aborted landing which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the ground. A factor is the the student pilot's inexperience.

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 control - in flightLanding - aborted
Airspeed - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Lack of total experiencePilot in commandFactor
Stall - inadvertentPilot in command
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled
Airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - runway
Landing gear,nose gear - collapsed

Analysis

The airplane ran off the side of the runway during an aborted landing and nosed down on the adjacent grass. According to the student pilot, 'once I touched down, the plane turned to th left. Thinking I was still in the air flying, I added power to go around. In the process, the plane went off the runway, across the grass, and hit the taxiway. So I pulled back on the wheel, I stalled the plane, and I ended up in the grass, nose down.' The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction.

Factual narrative

On July 8, 1994, about 1530 eastern daylight time, N63021, a Cessna 172P airplane, a training flight, overran the side of the runway during landing at Leesburg Airport, Leesburg, Virginia. Visual meteorological conditions existed. The student pilot, the sole occupant, received no injuries. The airplane was destroyed. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91.

The student pilot had 9 hours of solo time, and was returning from a solo cross country flight to Charlottesville, Virginia. After landing at Charlottseville, he had lunch and departed for Leesburg Airport. He reported no problems on the return flight to Leesburg.

On final approach to runway 17, the student pilot saw the aircraft in front of him still on the runway. He initiated a go- around, and went around the pattern again with no difficulties.

According to the student pilot, as he was on the landing roll out the plane veered left. "Once I touched down the plane turned to the left. Thinking I was still in the air flying, I added power to go around. In the process the plane went off the runway, across the grass and hit the taxiway. So I pulled back on the wheel, I stalled the plane and I ended up in the grass nose down. The pilot reported no mechanical problems.

Aircraft

Registration
N63021
Reported as
Cessna 172P
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17275381
Airframe hours
2,833
Engine
Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Av-Ed Flight School, Inc., doing business as Av-Ed Aviation
Registered owner
David Allen & Donald Robb
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
Last inspection
100 hour · June 2, 1994 · 77 hours before
Departed
CHO · Charlottesville, VA
Flight plan
VFR
Airport
JYO · Leesburg Airport, runway 17, 5,500 × 100 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
29
Certificate
Student
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Flight hours
47 total · 47 in this make and model · 9 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
200° at 5 knots, gusting 8
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
97 °F, dew point 68 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg