# NTSB SEA99LA077: Cessna 172N, N5120D, Covington, WA, May 27, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 27, 1999, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC) - Place: Covington, WA - Coordinates: 47.359401, -122.100372 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.3594&lon=-122.1004&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report March 31, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 46605 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA99LA077 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46605/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA99LA077 ## Probable cause The student pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, and his subsequent improper execution of the go-around procedure, resulting in collision with trees off the departure end of the runway. Factors included the student pilot's lack of total experience, and trees off the departure end. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, go-around (vfr) - recovery from bounced landing - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - go-around - improper, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience, pilot in command (contributing factor) - object - tree(s) (contributing factor) ## Analysis The solo student pilot, who reported his total time as 70 hours (including about 40 hours in make and model) reported he dropped in and bounced his landing, and was unable to get the airplane back onto the 3,002-foot-long runway by the halfway point. He then attempted a go-around, but failed to clear trees off the departure end of the runway. The student pilot reported no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved. An FAA inspector who examined the airplane after the accident found the airplane's flaps extended about 30 to 32 degrees; the balked landing procedure for the aircraft specifies that flaps be set to 20 degrees immediately upon initiation of a balked landing, then set to 10 degrees until obstacles are cleared. ## Factual narrative On May 27, 1999, approximately 1530 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N5120D, owned by Crest Airpark Inc., Covington, Washington, sustained substantial damage when it crashed during an attempted go-around from Crest Airpark. The solo student pilot received minor injuries in the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR 91 local flight. The student pilot reported: I was landing at Crest Airpark on Runway 33....I was set to touch down and started my flair [sic], the airspeed said 60 knots and I had full flaps in. The airplane was settling in nicely, but then stopped going down and it didn't want to descend. All of a sudden I lost all lift and dropped to the runway and bounced back up. I added a little throttle to smooth out the landing and the plane again wouldn't descend onto the runway. I was about 50% down the runway and decided that I should go around. I added full power and brought the flaps up. I checked my airspeed and it was at 60 knots so I thought that I could climb out ok [sic]. But, the plane wouldn't climb and I was headed strait [sic] towards some trees. I decided to get a [sic] slow as possible and pulled the throttle back, lowered the flaps and braced for impact. I went into the trees and bushes and stopped.... The student pilot was found by FAA inspectors to be properly endorsed for the solo flight. He reported his total time to the NTSB as 70 hours, including 39.4 hours in the Cessna 172. The student pilot reported that winds were calm at the time, and indicated on his NTSB accident report that no mechanical failure or malfunction was involved in the accident. Crest Airpark runway 33 is a 3,285- by 40-foot asphalt runway. The runway 33 threshold is displaced 283 feet, yielding a usable landing distance of 3,002 feet. The runway markings are listed as being nonstandard and in poor condition. Trees extending to a height of 65 feet above the primary landing surface are located 330 feet from the displaced threshold 144 feet left of the runway centerline, and zero to 200 feet from the threshold 120 feet right of the runway centerline. Parked aircraft are also located adjacent to both sides of the primary landing surface at the north end of the runway, and trees to a height of 50 feet are located 200 feet beyond the departure end. An approach ratio of 5:1 is specified for runway 33, due to the obstructions. An FAA inspector who examined the aircraft after the accident reported to the NTSB that he observed the aircraft's flaps extended approximately 30 to 32 degrees. Full flap extension on the aircraft is 40 degrees. The balked landing procedure in the Cessna 172N pilot's operating handbook (POH) specifies that upon initiating a balked landing, flaps are to be set to 20 degrees immediately, and then set to 10 degrees until obstacles are cleared. The POH specifies a balked landing climb speed of 55 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS). Wing flaps are retracted after reaching a safe altitude and a speed of 60 KIAS. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5120D](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5120D-2001-05-07), registration cancelled 2001-05-07, S/N 17272427 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172N - Registry model: [Cessna 172N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (registry code 2072434) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17272427 - Airframe hours: 7241 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Crest Airpark Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, May 24, 1999, 9 hours before - Departed: S36, COVINGTON, WA - Airport: S36, Crest Airpark, runway 33, 3,002 × 40 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 38; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 70 total, 40 in this make and model, 70 as pilot in command, 14 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 75 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990527005889A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990527005889A), May 27, 1999: Cessna 172N, Kent, WA, Substantial damage. Acft crashed under unknown circumstances. (-23) student pilot was on a solo flight. He had flown in the past and had recently begun flight training to obtain a… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.