Cessna 172M N9197H

Summary

On 14 September 2011 at about 21:30 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N9197H was involved in an accident near Wendover, Utah, 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

14 September 2011 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wendover, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

South Valley (U42)

Coordinates

40.7728, -113.3836

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N9197H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Valley → Wendover

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11CA449

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot overflew an off-field landing site multiple times to assess the surface conditions. He observed an area with tire tracks and concluded that the surface was stable enough to perform a landing. He configured the airplane for a soft field landing, with the main landing gear touching the ground first. He reported that the ground felt firm as he lowered the nose; however, as the nosewheel touched the surface, the airplane experienced a sudden deceleration and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer during the accident sequence. Postaccident examination of the landing surface revealed that it consisted of soft, wet mud, topped with a shallow dry crust.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.