Cessna 172 Safety Record

FAILURE TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS PRESCRIBED BY THE MAGNETO, ENGINE AND AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS. THE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

STUDENT PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER AIRSPEED DURING THE LANDING ATTEMPT WHICH RESULTED IN THE INITIATION OF A GO-AROUND. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S POOR PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND HIS BECOMING DISORIENTED DURING THE FLIGHT. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS THE LOW FUEL LEVEL AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE.

IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT BY CONTINUING THE APPROACH WHEN THE RUNWAY LIGHTS DID NOT ACTIVATE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: DARK NIGHT AND SOFT TERRAIN.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM THE TELEPHONE POLE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE PILOT'S DISORIENTATION, LACK OF VISUAL PERCEPTION AT NIGHT, THE TELEPHONE (UTILITY) POLE, AND THE DITCH.

FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE LANDING, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT GROUND SWERVE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: IMPROPER FLARE BY THE STUDENT DURING THE LANDING, WHICH RESULTED IN A HARD LANDING, AND THE SOFT/WET (SWAMPY) TERRAIN CONDITIONS.

THE PILOT DELAYED IN ABORTING THE LANDING AND FAILED OBTAIN OR MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT FROM MUSHING AFTER LIFT-OFF. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: OBSTRUCTIONS NEAR THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT, AND THE TREE AND FENCE NEAR THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY.

STUDENT PILOT'S CONTINUING AN APPROACH TO LANDING BEYOND THE POINT WHERE SHE COULD BRING THE AIRCRAFT TO A CONTROLLED STOP ON THE REMAINING RUNWAY SURFACE.

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY COMPENSATE FOR THE GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS DURING TAKEOFF AND THE DELAY IN HIS DECISION TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF BEFORE COLLIDING WITH TREES. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE AND PROFICIENCY.

THE PILOTS MISJUDGEMENT OF LANDING DISTANCE WHICH RESULTED IN THE FAILURE TO TOUCHDOWN AT A PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT. THE PILOT ALSO FAILED TO PERFORM A GO-AROUND.

THE IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT WHEN HE ALLOWED THE PRIVATE PILOT STUDENT TO LAND LONG. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTRUCTOR DELAYED REMEDIAL ACTION UNTIL THE RUNWAY OVERRUN WAS INEVITABLE.

INADEQUATE SERVICING OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT, PARTIAL BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL LINE AND FUEL FILTER, AND FUEL STARVATION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE DOWNWARD SLOPING RUNWAY AND A FENCE.

INTERMITTANT GROUNDING OF AN ELECTRICAL WIRE TO THE NOSE LANDING GEAR. THE CHAFED WIRE RESULTED IN THE OPENING OF THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER PREVENTING FULL EXTENSION OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR. A SECONDARY FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE WARNING SWITCH PRECLUDED A VISUAL OR AURAL WARNING OF THE UNSAFE GEAR POSITION.

IMPROPER USE OF THE ELEVATOR FLIGHT CONTROL BY THE PILOT AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER RATE OF CLIMB AFTER LIFT-OFF. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: IMPROPER USE OF ELEVATOR TRIM BY THE PILOT, HIS LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE, AND AN INADVERTENT PORPOISE.

THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE GUSTY/CROSSWIND CONDITION.

THE PILOT'S MISJUDGEMENT OF SPEED & DISTANCE DURING LANDING WHICH RESULTED IN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT TO BE EXCEEDED. THE RUNWAY CONDITIONS WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

FUEL CONTAMINATION OF AN UNKNOWN ORIGIN, FAILURE OF COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO LOCATE AND REMOVE ALL CONTAMINATION, CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT AFTER THE CAUSE OF A KNOWN ENGINE PROBLEM WAS NOT DETERMINED, AND SUBSEQUENT FUEL STARVATION. THE LIGHT CONDITIONS AT DUSK AND THE SOFT TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

CARBURETOR ICE DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY USE THE CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL DURING DESCENT AND FLIGHT IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS AT REDUCED POWER. UNDERLYING THIS IS INADEQUATE TRAINING IN THE PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF CARBURETOR ICING AND THE PROPER METHODOLOGY OF DEALING WITH THIS PHENOMENON.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE LANDING, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT GROUND SWERVE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE ICY AND SNOW COVERED RUNWAY CONDITIONS AND THE SNOWBANK.