Summary
On August 05, 1995, a Cessna 172D (N2418Y) was involved in an incident near Hague, VA. All 3 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALIGNMENT WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE LANDING. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE CROSSWIND AND THE PROXIMITY OF TALL CORN (CROP) TO THE NARROW RUNWAY.
On August 4, 1995, at 2010 eastern daylight time, N2418Y, a Cessna 172D, crashed during landing at a private grass field in Hague, Virginia. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot reported that he was on a 45 minute flight from Manassas, VA, to a private airport. He stated that he made,"...a normal standard approach to North runway...flair at full flaps was at stall speed, aircraft floated slightly left just prior to touchdown....touchdown wheel marks are just left of center of runway at approximately 300 feet from approach end of runway.
This incident is documented in NTSB report BFO95LA076. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2418Y.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALIGNMENT WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE LANDING. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE CROSSWIND AND THE PROXIMITY OF TALL CORN (CROP) TO THE NARROW RUNWAY.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 4, 1995, at 2010 eastern daylight time, N2418Y, a Cessna 172D, crashed during landing at a private grass field in Hague, Virginia. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot reported that he was on a 45 minute flight from Manassas, VA, to a private airport. He stated that he made,"...a normal standard approach to North runway...flair at full flaps was at stall speed, aircraft floated slightly left just prior to touchdown....touchdown wheel marks are just left of center of runway at approximately 300 feet from approach end of runway. Aircraft's left main gear touched ground first, aircraft yaws slightly left because left main is on grass first." The left wing struck corn stalks and the aircraft spun around.
The aircraft was examined at the accident site by an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector. The FAA Inspector reported that the grass strip had corn stalks on both sides, and that the width of the field when measured was actually 44-feet-wide. The Inspector also reported that the aircraft was examined after the accident and no anomalies were noted.
The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction and that the accident could have been prevented if the corn was not grown so close to the runway.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# BFO95LA076