- Date
- November 4, 2010, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Port Townsend, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N14511Cessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Seattle FSDO
- Case key
- 77740
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 improper flare/touchdown while landing, resulting in a loss of directional control and a runway excursion.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During a planned full-stop landing, the airplane bounced back into the air after the initial touchdown and then settled to the runway a second time. Almost immediately after the second touchdown the airplane veered sharply to the left and departed the runway surface. Before the pilot could get the airplane to come to a stop its left wing struck a tree, resulting in the airplane spinning. The pilot said that the airplane had no mechanical or directional control anomalies, and that he should have executed a go-around when the airplane first bounced back into the air.
Factual narrative
During a planned full-stop landing, the airplane bounced back into the air after the initial touchdown, and then settled to the runway a second time. Almost immediately after the second touchdown, the airplane veered sharply to the left and departed the runway surface. Before the pilot could get the airplane to come to a stop, its left wing struck a tree, resulting in the airplane spinning around and coming to a stop. The pilot said that the airplane had no mechanical or directional control anomalies, and that he should have executed a go-around when the airplane first bounced back into the air.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14511
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10582
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Coastal Aviation Capital LLC
- Registered owner
- Coastal Aviation Capital LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KTIW · Tacoma, WA
- Destination
- 0S9 · Port Townsend, WA
- Airport
- 0S9 · Jefferson County International, runway 27, 3,000 × 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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 26, 2009
- Flight hours
- 290 total · 290 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 22, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 693 KB in all.