Cessna 177B N34539

Summary

On 5 May 2012 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna 177B registered N34539 was involved in an accident near Honesdale, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 May 2012 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Honesdale, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Cherry Ridge Airport (N30)

Coordinates

41.5133, -75.2500

Aircraft

Cessna 177B

Registration

N34539

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Monticello → Honesdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12FA319

1 person died.

The pilot pitching the airplane to an excessive nose-up attitude during an aborted landing, which resulted in increased induced drag, diminished airspeed, and an aerodynamic stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s use of a sedating antihistamine, which resulted in impaired mental and motor skills.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was operating on a temporary certificate in preparation for a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) competency checkride that was required as a result of a previous accident. (The previous accident occurred at the same airport in the same make and model of airplane but on the opposite runway. During that accident, the pilot delayed a decision to abort a long landing, and the airplane impacted trees beyond the end of the runway.) On the day of the accident, the pilot was observed attempting to land the airplane with a tailwind estimated by observers to be at least 10 knots. The airplane completed two traffic pattern circuits to low approaches that resulted in go-arounds. As the airplane approached the runway a third time, it appeared to be "unusually fast." It commenced a landing flare past the runway identification numbers, floated, touched down nosewheel first, then porpoised several times. Just past the windsock, which was about 1,200 feet from the runway’s departure end, engine power was applied, and the airplane's nose pitched up excessively high. The airplane then stalled at an estimated 200 to 300 feet above the runway and began a spin to the left, completing about 180 degrees of rotation before impacting the ground with power on. Postflight examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Postflight toxicology testing revealed that the pilot had ingested an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine in a quantity that exceeded the therapeutic dosage rate. The antihistamine, which is not FAA-approved for use during piloting, carries a warning that it may impair mental and motor skills.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.