- Date
- May 23, 2013, 10:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Truckee, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8879VCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130523009599A
- Case key
- 86988
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll which resulted in a collision with a tree.
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 reported that he was making his first landing of the summer season on a high mountain dirt/turf airstrip. The airplane touched down left of centerline, which sloped to the left. The pilot was unable to correct back to the right before the left wing struck a pine tree next to the airstrip. The airplane spun to the left and skidded sideways when the right wing contacted the surface. Both wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was making his first landing of the summer season on a high mountain dirt/turf airstrip. The airplane touched down left of centerline, which sloped to the left. The pilot was unable to correct back to the right before the left wing struck a pine tree next to the airstrip. The airplane spun to the left and skidded sideways when the right wing contacted the surface. Both wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8879V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17264238
- Airframe hours
- 3,724
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Belknap Ronald L
- Registered owner
- Belknap Ronald L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 18, 2012
- Departed
- MAE · Madera, CA
- Destination
- NA · Truckee, CA
- Airport
- NA · Private, runway 35, 1,250 × 40 ft, grass/turf
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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 6, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,380 total · 1,053 in this make and model · 18 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 5 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- TRK, 11 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 19, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 781 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.