- Date
- January 20, 2020, 12:25 local (19:25 UTC)
- Place
- Sun River, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73707Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200120021769A
- Case key
- 100844
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 on a runway with icy patches, which resulted in impact with a snowbank and a subsequent nose-over.
Findings · 4
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, after an uneventful cross-country flight, the airplane landed smoothly on the runway and started to veer left. The pilot added right rudder, but the airplane continued to veer left. He aborted the landing by applying full engine power and continued to apply right rudder, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway, impacted a snowbank, and nosed over. The pilot reported that the runway was coated in icy patches. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that after an uneventful cross-country flight, the airplane landed smoothly onto the runway and started to veer left. The pilot added right rudder and despite his actions the airplane continued to veer left. He aborted the landing by applying full engine power, continued to apply the right rudder, but the airplane collided with a snowbank on the left side of the runway and nosed over. The pilot reported that the runway was coated in icy patches. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73707
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267620
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 9,712
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Leading Edge Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Leading Edge Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 11, 2020 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- BDN · Bend, OR
- Destination
- S21 · Sun River, OR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- S21 · Sunriver, runway 18, 5,461 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 18, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 152 total · 151 in this make and model · 108 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KS21
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 MB 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.