Cessna 172 Safety Record

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.

THE FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO COMPENSATE ADEQUATELY FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND TO RELINQUISH THE FLIGHT CONTROLS TO THE INSTRUCTOR. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR.

CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING, WEATHER CONDITIONS, PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME, LACK OF VISUAL CUES AT NIGHT, AND TREES AT THE CRASH SITE.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND LOSS OF CONTROL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE WEATHER CONDITIONS, WHICH WERE BELOW MINIMUMS, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PERFORM A MISSED APPROACH.

THE PILOT'S DECISION TO LAND AT AN UNLIGHTED AIRSTRIP IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS, AND HER SUBSEQUENT, INADVERTENT SELECTIONOF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN BORDERING THE RUNWAY.

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.

INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION BY THE PILOT WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE LOW CEILINGS AND FOG.

THE PASSENGER FAILED TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM THE PROPELLER AS SHE ATTEMPTED TO BOARD THE AIRCRAFT. BOTH THE PILOT FAILURE TO SUPERVISE THE BOARDING OF THE PASSENGER AND THE NIGHT LIGHT CONDITIONS ARE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SELECT THE PROPER RUNWAY, WHICH RESULTED IN A DOWNWIND LANDING AND AN OVERRUN OF THE RUNWAY. THE GUSTY TAILWIND, DITCH, AND RAILING (FENCE) WERE FACTORS.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO GO AROUND, WHEN SHE DID NOT ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT (LANDED LONG) AND HAD EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED TO STOP ON THE RUNWAY. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITION (SUDDEN WIND SHIFT).

THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE DUE TO CARBURETOR ICE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDED CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS, IMPROPER USE OF THE CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL BY THE PILOT, AND THE IMPROPERLY RIGGED CARBURETOR AIR BOX WHICH RESULTED IN REDUCED CARBURETOR HEATING CAPABILITY.

THE CONTINUATION OF A VFR FLIGHT INTO NIGHT, INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND THE SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE OVERCONFIDENCE OF THE PILOT.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER AIRSPEED WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH RESULTING IN AN AERODYNAMIC STALL. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S DELAYED USE OF WING FLAPS.

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE FOR WIND CONDITIONS, TO MAINTAIN PROPER RUNWAY ALIGNMENT, AND HIS DELAY IN ABORTING THE LANDING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: VARIABLE CROSSWIND CONDITIONS AND A SMALL TREE.

THE PILOT'S SELECTION OF THE WRONG RUNWAY FOR LANDING AND HIS DELAY IN INITIATING A GO-AROUND AFTER LANDING LONG. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: LIGHT CONDITIONS AS DUSK AND A TAILWIND.