- Date
- August 31, 1991, 14:02 local (20:02 UTC)
- Place
- Butte, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2396ECessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910831037469A
- Case key
- 41528
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
Unfavorable winds. Factors to the accident were: inadequate weather evaluation and lack of total flight experience.
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
During a local solo instructional flight, the airplane had just entered the flare for landing when it suddenly drifted to the right of the runway. The pilot applied full power and retracted 10 degrees of flaps when the airplane yawed violently to the left and slammed to the ground. A pilot who landed just prior to the accident airplane stated that a dust devil was seen in the local area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2396E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-71265
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Butte Aviation
- Departed
- BTM · Butte, MT
- Airport
- BTM · Bert Mooney, runway 11, 5,101 × 75 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 63 total · 61 in this make and model · 25 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N2396E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.