Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary NYC94LA001

WELLSVILLE, NY, USA

Aircraft #1

N20286

CESSNA 172M

Analysis

THE PILOT MADE RADIO CONTACT WITH THE AIRPORT AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE LANDING RUNWAY WAS 28, AND THE REPORTED WINDS WERE FROM 240 DEGREES, AT 10 KNOTS GUSTING TO 20 KNOTS. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TOUCHED DOWN, THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO ROLL OUT, AND THE NOSE GEAR STARTED TO SETTLE ON THE GROUND. THE PILOT SAID, '...THE WIND PICKED US UP, IT MUST HAVE GUSTED FROM 35 TO 40, FROM THE LEFT, PUTTING US AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO THE RUNWAY, ABOUT 20 TO 30 FEET OFF THE GROUND.' THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO GO AROUND, BUT THE AIRPLANE'S SPEED WAS TOO SLOW. THE PILOT COULD NOT STOP THE AIRPLANE BEFORE IT WENT DOWN A STEEP BANK TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY, AND NOSED OVER.

Factual Information

On Monday, October 4, 1993, at about 1205 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N20286, piloted by Mr. Roderick. Cram, nosed over during the landing roll at Wellsville Airport, Wellsville, New York. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and the one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91. According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2: ...when calling for advisory at...Wellsville, we were given runway 28 with winds from 240 [degrees] at 10 [knots], gusting to 20...on final, I had the left wing slightly down...had in 10 degrees of flaps...landed on the main gear and started...rollout. The nose started to settle...the wind picked us up, it must have gusted from 35 to 40, from my left, putting us at right angle to the runway, about 20 to 30 feet off the ground. I...attempted to go around, but we were going too slow...and we were unable to recover...the plane moved to the right, we came down on the main gear...the bank that went down the other side of the taxiway was steep. The nose wheel went down [the bank] and the plane flipped over...

Probable Cause and Findings

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall and inflight collision with the terrain.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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