- Date
- September 14, 2011, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wendover, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9197HCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 1, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminstration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110914019629A
- Case key
- 81792
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over.
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
The pilot overflew an off-field landing site multiple times to assess the surface conditions. He observed an area with tire tracks and concluded that the surface was stable enough to perform a landing. He configured the airplane for a soft field landing, with the main landing gear touching the ground first. He reported that the ground felt firm as he lowered the nose; however, as the nosewheel touched the surface, the airplane experienced a sudden deceleration and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer during the accident sequence. Postaccident examination of the landing surface revealed that it consisted of soft, wet mud, topped with a shallow dry crust.
Factual narrative
The pilot had just performed three uneventful touch-and-go landings at a hard surface airport. He subsequently elected to depart for the local salt flats to perform an off-field landing. He overflew a prospective landing site, performing multiple flybys to assess the surface conditions. He observed an area with tire tracks, and concluded that the surface was therefore stable enough to perform a landing. He configured the airplane for a soft field landing, with the main landing gear touching the ground first. He reported that the ground felt firm as he lowered the nose; however, as the nose wheel touched the surface the airplane experienced a sudden deceleration, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer during the accident sequence. Examination of the landing surface revealed that it consisted of soft wet mud, topped with a shallow dry crust. The airplane was equipped with conventional tires.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9197H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17266009
- Airframe hours
- 5,173
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 6, 2010 · 84 hours before
- Departed
- U42 · South Valley, UT
- Destination
- Wendover, UT
- Airport
- U42 · South Valley
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 11, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 117 total · 28 in this make and model · 80 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- SLC, 70 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 763 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.