Cessna 172P N64204

Summary

On 20 January 2018 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N64204 was involved in an accident near Cloverdale, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 January 2018 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cloverdale, California, United States

Nearest airport

Cloverdale Municipal Airport (O60)

Coordinates

38.7761, -122.9925

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N64204

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Rosa → Cloverdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18CA072

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the approach and his delayed decision to go around.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he intended to make two full-stop landings before returning to his home base. The pilot entered the traffic pattern and announced his position as he maneuvered to final approach. The pilot stated that the approach was stable but appeared to be short. He added power and adjusted the pitch for the projected touchdown point beyond the displaced threshold. When the airplane was over the displaced threshold, the stability of the approach was lost. The pilot suspected a swirl of wind or updraft was encountered as the wing raised more than he expected from previous landings at this airport. The pilot tried to regain the runway centerline and level the wings; however, he was unsuccessful. The pilot then made a radio transmission that he was going around. He applied power and raised the flaps (he reported that his intention was to extend the flaps 20o; however, postaccident, the flap position was fully retracted). The airplane rolled to the left and contacted the ground, coming to rest inverted off the side of the runway. The forward fuselage, left wing and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.