- Date
- April 16, 1994, 15:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Colville, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3854QCessna 172L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940416007909A
- Case key
- 41911
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 pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point, and his excessive airspeed at the point of touchdown. Factors include the student pilot's lack of recent experience, and a ravine off the end of the runway.
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, who had only flown 4.7 hours in the last ninety days prior to this flight, was attempting a full-stop landing at the end of a long solo cross-country. He landed long and fast, and was unable to stop the aircraft before running off the end of the runway. After departing the end of the runway, the aircraft went over a 15 foot drop-off and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On April 16, 1994, at 1545 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Cessna 172L, N3854Q, ran off the end of the runway and nosed over at Colville Municipal Airport, Colville, Washington. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The initial cross-country solo flight, which departed Spokane International Airport, Spokane, Washington, at 1430 PDT, was operating in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. The flight had been on a VFR flight plan, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the student pilot, he landed fast and long, and was unable to get the aircraft stopped before it exited the end of the runway. After exiting the runway, the aircraft went over a 15 foot drop-off and nosed over.
The student pilot also reported that, prior to this flight, he had only flown 4.7 hours in the last ninety days.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3854Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 172L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17259954
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Colville Wings Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 3, 1993 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- GEG · Spokane, WA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 63S · Colville Airport
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 38 total · 14 in this make and model · 23 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N3854Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.