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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

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NTSB Report

September 2, 2005 · Cessna 172 · N5070A

Yuma, AZ

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
September 2, 2005
Injury Outcomes
2 injuries (1 fatality, 1 serious injury)
Location
Yuma, AZ
Aircraft
Cessna 172
Tail Number
N5070A
Injuries
Fatal
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
NTSB Number
LAX05LA286

The airplane stalled on short final and impacted the runway's displaced threshold in a nose low pitch attitude and erupted in flames. The pilot was flying the airplane from the right seat, with a passenger occupying the left seat in order to take some aerial photographs of nearby property. The airplane was on final approach and the pilot was conducting a full-flap landing. He reported that everything was fine, but the airplane began descending too fast. He applied some power to go-around, but the airplane encountered a gust of wind and stalled on short final. Witnesses at the airport observed the airplane on short final. The nose pitched up to a level position about 50 feet above the ground and then nosed down until impact with the ground. The weather observation facility at the airport was reporting the wind at 7 knots down the runway. The airplane was not equipped with shoulder harnesses.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed on short final, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

Full Narrative

On September 2, 2005, at 0830 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N5070A, was destroyed when it impacted the displaced threshold for runway 8 at the Yuma International Airport, Yuma, Arizona. The private pilot/owner of the airplane sustained serious injuries and the passenger was fatally injured. The pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight that departed Yuma around 0715. During a telephone interview with the pilot, he reported that the purpose of the flight was to photograph some private property of his that was for sale. The passenger was seated in the left seat to photograph the property and the pilot was flying from the right seat. They finished taking photographs of the property and were returning to the airport when the accident occurred. The airplane was on final approach and the pilot was conducting a full-flap landing. He reported that everything was fine, but the airplane began descending too fast. He applied some power to go-around, but the airplane encountered a gust of wind and stalled on short final. Witnesses informed the Federal Aviation Administrator inspector who responded to the accident site that they observed the airplane on short final. The nose pitched up to a level position about 50 feet above the ground and then nosed down until impact with the ground. Photographs taken of the accident site by airport operations personnel displayed tire marks on the displaced threshold followed by parallel gouges in the asphalt that were perpendicular to the airplane's direction of travel. The airplane came to rest upright about 80 yards from the initial impact point and erupted into flames. The center fuselage was burnt in its entirety and the wings were bent down and the tips were touching the ground. The floorboard behind the front seats was bent up and the aft fuselage and empennage were lying on the ground. At 0856, the weather observation facility at the Yuma International Airport reported the wind from 080 degrees at 7 knots. The airplane, which underwent its last annual inspection 22 hours prior to the accident (October 01, 2004), was not equipped with shoulder harnesses. The pilot reported having accumulated a total of 800 flight hours, of which 640 hours were accumulated in the accident airplane.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time08:30 MST
Nearest AirportYuma International Airport (0nm)
Runway8
Runway Length6146 ft
Runway Width150 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireGrd
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftCessna 172
Tail NumberN5070A
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageDestroyed
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsContinental · O-300-A · Reciprocating · 145
Seats4

People & Injuries

Injury Summary2 injuries (1 fatality, 1 serious injury)
Fatal1
Serious1
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total2
Crew 1Age 55 · Third Class · Serious

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind80° @ 7 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point63 F
Altimeter29.81 inHg
Observation Time15:56
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data