- Date
- September 11, 1999, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tahola, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8995VCessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 2, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990911047689A
- Case key
- 47559
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 inadequate directional control and his failure to maintain clearance from trees along the side of the landing area. Factors include a landing area surrounded by tall trees.
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
While attempting to land on a recently cleared roadway, the aircraft bounced back into the air. When it touched back down, it veered to the right, and the pilot's directional control inputs were not adequate to keep the right wing from coming in contact with trees that were growing along the side of the landing area.
Factual narrative
On September 11, 1999, approximately 1330 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N8995V, impacted trees during an off-airport landing near Tahola, Washington. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR 91 business flight, which departed Hoquiam, Washington, about two and one-half hours earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, he was landing on a newly cleared roadway in order to look at a nearby construction project. Just after touchdown, the aircraft bounced back into the air. When it touched back down, it veered to the right and one of its wings contacted tree limbs along the side of the landing area. According to the pilot, there were no mechanical problems with the aircraft or its directional control systems. On the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot recommended "Not landing in such a narrow landing area."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8995V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17264350
- Airframe hours
- 1,376
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scott W. Rognlin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1999
- Departed
- HQM · Hoquiam, WA
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,135 total · 1,125 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- 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.
Other investigations on N8995V · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.