SEA96LA035

The pilot of a Cessna 172N said that he made a normal approach to the 1,875 foot long runway during calm wind. Before landing, the airplane floated. The pilot said that after the airplane touched down and he lowered the nose wheel, the end of the runway was closer than he had expected. He initiated a go-around; however, the airplane's left main landing gear struck a cable, supported by 3 foot high wooden fence posts, which served as a barrier between the end of the runway and a paved road. The airplane then collided with a commercial building and a tree. The left flap was damaged, but the (undamaged) right flap was found in the retracted position. Witnesses around the airport reported the wind direction as southerly immediately following the accident. The Cessna 172N information manual indicated that in the event of a balked landing, 'climb, (and) reduce the flap setting to 20 degrees immediately after full power is applied.'

History of flight

On December 24, 1995, approximately 1015 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N738ME, being flown by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a collision with a barricade cable, commercial building and terrain while executing a go around at the Pacific City State airport, Pacific City, Oregon. The pilot and three passengers were uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal in nature, was to have been operated under 14CFR91, and originated at Mulino, Oregon, approximately 0930.

The pilot reported making a normal approach to land on runway 32 during which the plane floated. He reported that the winds were calm and that "when (the) mains touched and I lowered the nose wheel I saw the end of (the) runway fence was closer than I had expected" and "I executed a go around" (refer to DIAGRAM I which the pilot provided showing the initiation point of the go around). The runway at the Pacific City airport is 1,875 feet in length and is composed of a 30 foot wide asphalt strip.

On site examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the aircraft's left main landing gear had contacted a metal cable which was routed through vertically mounted wooden fence posts. The posts were situated across the upwind end of the runway, between the runway threshold and a roadway which passed perpendicular to the runway centerline. The posts were approximately three feet above ground level with the metal cable slightly lower. The point of contact between the right main landing gear and the cable was at a location slightly east of the centerline. Wheel marks diverging from the runway centerline were observed in the gravel on the north side of the roadway (refer to photographs 1 and 2).

The aircraft was observed to have come to rest adjacent to a commercial real estate building and a conifer tree. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the left wing had sustained leading edge impact damage and had been deformed aftward. The left flap was compressively buckled and partially extended. The right flap, however, was found to be in the fully retracted position (refer to photographs 3 and 4).

The winds at the Newport airport, 37 nautical miles south (also on the coast), were reported as 14 knots gusting to 20 knots from 070 degrees magnetic at 0952. Several witnesses located at or near the Pacific City airport reported southerly winds immediately after the accident (refer to extraction from the Tillamook County Sheriff's Report number 95-002734 attached),

The Cessna 172N Information Manual states in Section 4 "Normal Procedures" that the procedure in the event of a balked landing is to "climb, (and) reduce the flap setting to 20 degrees immediately after full power is applied" (refer to ATTACHMENTS I & II).