Cessna 172S N21718

Summary

On 27 May 2012 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N21718, operated by Westwind Aviation, was involved in an accident near Page, Arizona, 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

27 May 2012 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Page, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Page Municipal (PGA)

Coordinates

36.9222, -111.4422

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N21718

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Westwind Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Deer Valley → Page

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12CA232

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing flare.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was flying the airplane and another pilot was acting as a safety pilot during the approach to landing. The flying pilot stated that he held the airplane in a left yaw during the final approach, and the safety pilot stated that he was looking through the airplane’s rear window at the airplane that was just behind them. The safety pilot said that he became concerned that the airplane behind them was flying too close and that he continued to watch as it overflew their position during the flare. When the safety pilot looked forward, he noticed that the airplane he was in was in a yaw condition, and the pilot had not aligned the airplane with the runway centerline for landing. The pilot attempted to correct the yaw during the flare, but the airplane landed in a side load condition on the left main landing gear and then veered off the left side of the runway. The safety pilot tried to take control of the airplane, but it continued into the ramp area and collided with two parked aircraft. The accident airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the left side of the main cabin, and one of the parked airplanes sustained substantial damage to its rear cabin and tail section. The accident pilots reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.