Cessna 172S N121CW

Summary

On 18 September 2005 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N121CW, operated by Westwind Aviation, was involved in an accident near Show Low, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 September 2005 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Show Low, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Show Low (SOW)

Coordinates

34.2756, -110.0092

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N121CW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Westwind Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Show Low

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05CA302

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's selection of a downwind runway for landing and his inadequate compensation for the strong and gusty quartering tail wind conditions, which resulted in a tail strike during landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During landing, the airplane's tail impacted the ground and resulted in substantial damage to the base of the rudder and the right elevator. The pilot obtained the weather information from an airport located about 12 nautical miles southeast of the accident airport. The winds were reported from 130 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 18 knots. After an attempted landing for runway 03, the pilot performed a go-around and entered the landing pattern for runway 06. The pilot said he thought the windsock indicated favorable winds for landing runway 06. The approach to land was normal and the pilot flared the airplane, touching down on the right main gear first, and then the airplane bounced. The pilot said the airplane was suddenly pushed aside, to the north end of the runway and the tail section impacted the ground. The airplane settled to the ground momentarily before the pilot was able to perform the go-around and land uneventfully on runway 24. Post accident examination revealed that the right elevator was jammed. No mechanical malfunctions were noted with the airplane prior to the accident. An automated weather observation system (AWOS) for Show Low reported the following weather information 10 minutes following the accident: wind from 230 degrees at 20 knots, gusting to 26 knots. Ten minutes prior to the accident, the winds were reported from 200 degrees at 18 knots, gusting to 22 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.