Cessna 172L N811P

Summary

On 28 January 2012 at about 15:45 local time, a Cessna 172L registered N811P, operated by Champlain Island Hoppers Inc, was involved in an accident near Grand Isle, Vermont, United States. 2 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

28 January 2012 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Isle, Vermont, United States

Nearest airport

Middle Hero (NA)

Coordinates

44.7544, -73.2739

Aircraft

Cessna 172L

Registration

N811P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Champlain Island Hoppers Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Burlington → Grand Isle

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA162

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inability to stop the airplane on a grass runway with undetected ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that before departing for a private airport, he called the owner of the airport to inquire about the condition of the turf runway. The owner reported that the runway appeared to be "okay." Upon reaching the destination airport, the pilot conducted two approaches to the runway that were "steeper and faster" than he desired, and he aborted both landing attempts. On the third approach, the airplane touched down about 500 feet from the runway threshold. After touchdown, the pilot realized that he had little braking effectiveness and was unable to stop the airplane. The airplane traveled off the departure end of the runway and impacted trees, resulting in substantial damage to both the left and right wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures. The pilot and a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that, although the grass on the runway appeared normal from the air, there was a layer of ice underneath due to rain and below-freezing temperatures for several days prior to the accident, resulting in slick runway conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.