Cessna 177 N34867

Summary

On 29 July 2016 at about 15:00 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N34867 was involved in an accident near Wickenburg, Arizona, 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

29 July 2016 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wickenburg, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Wickenburg Muni (E25)

Coordinates

33.9711, -112.7944

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N34867

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wickenburg → Wickenburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA404

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's incorrect balked landing procedure, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent, hard landing, a runway excursion, and nose gear collapse.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that after a hard landing the airplane began to porpoise and he decided to abort the landing. The pilot reported that during the aborted landing, he added power and as the airplane began to climb, he retracted the flaps too soon and too quickly and the airplane settled back onto the runway, landed hard again, veered off the runway to the right, collapsed the nose gear, and stopped in a nose down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The procedures for a balked landing, as provided by Cessna, state: 1. Power – Full throttle and 2700 RPM 2. Carburetor Heat – Cold 3. Wing Flaps – Retract to 20 degrees 4. Upon reaching an airspeed of approximately 75 MPH, retract flaps slowly   The pilot reported as a safety recommendation to wait longer for the aircraft to further stabilize, gain speed, and begin climbing before retracting flaps.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.