N3680L

On August 26, 1995, at 1445 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172G, N3680L, collided with trees during an aborted landing attempt at Put-In-Bay Airport, Put-In-Bay, Ohio. The certificated private pilot received minor injuries, and the two passengers were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91 and originated in Detroit, Michigan.

The pilot reported that his flight to Ohio was eventful. He stated that he called on the unicom frequency to request active runway information for the destination airport. He stated that the response transmissions were "...garbled with squeals and static." The pilot reported that responses to his requests for clarification were also garbled, but he heard "...22..." and "...no traffic...", so he elected to land on runway 22. He stated that, "even with full flaps down, I could not slow the plane down. After touchdown I felt I could not come to a complete stop by the end of the runway."

The pilot reported that he decided to abort the landing. He stated that during the climb out the stall alarm sounded intermittently. He reported that he banked the airplane to the left to avoid trees, but the left wing struck a taller tree and the airplane descended to the ground.

A weather observation station at Toledo, Ohio, about 45 nautical miles west of the accident site, reported winds out of 070 degrees at 8 knots. According to an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector, the airplane touched down half way down the 2870 foot long runway 22. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented if the radio transmissions were better, and if he had used runway 4 instead of 22.