Cessna 172S N789EP

Summary

On 4 June 2010 at about 22:15 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N789EP, operated by Brett Aviation, was involved in an accident near Baltimore, Maryland, United States. One person was 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

4 June 2010 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Martin State Airport (MTN)

Coordinates

39.3256, -76.4136

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N789EP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Brett Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Easton/Newnam F → Baltimore

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA10CA305

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to land during a thunderstorm.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was cleared to land on runway 33 and advised of approaching weather. During the approach, the airplane encountered heavy rain, moderate turbulence, strong crosswinds, and a “sudden downdraft and crosswind” that resulted in a “very hard” landing. The airplane became “unstable,” and began to bounce down the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and returned to land on runway 15. The airplane landed hard once again, and again bounced several times down the runway. During a turn on the runway, the pilot noted a flat nose tire and requested assistance for a tow. A subsequent examination of the airplane revealed a propeller strike and substantial damage to the firewall, as well as wrinkling of the lower fuselage. An aviation routine weather report for the airport, about the time of the accident, included winds from 150 degrees true at 7 knots, and thunderstorms in the vicinity. The director of operations where the airplane was based on the airport, and one of the line service personnel who towed the airplane after the accident, confirmed that there had been a passing thunderstorm at the time of the accident. The pilot was not sure which of the hard landings resulted in the damage to the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.