N42ES

On August 10, 1996, at 1146 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N42ES, operated by the Orange County Flight Center, collided with a perimeter fence during an aborted landing on runway 24 at the Fullerton Municipal Airport, Fullerton, California. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight which originated from Orange County, California, at 1130.

The pilot reported that no mechanical problems were noted with the airplane during the initial approach to the runway, which is 3,121 feet long. According to the pilot, he was slightly high on the approach, and he began the landing flare around midfield while in a flaps up configuration. The pilot further indicated that he believed there was insufficient runway on which to stop, so he commenced a go-around by adding engine power. The engine responded, but the airplane impacted a perimeter fence after overflying the departure end of the runway.

In the pilot's completed report, he stated that during his landing approach the flaps failed to extend beyond the 10-degree setting due to a mechanical malfunction. The pilot also reported that after he initiated a go-around the airplane's performance "appeared to deteriorate," so he initiated a precautionary landing during which the airplane collided with the fence.

The pilot received his private pilot certificate in May, 1996. By the accident date, he had a total of 124 hours of flight time which included 4 hours in the Cessna 172 airplane.

The Federal Aviation Administration examined the airplane's flap operating system and the engine. No evidence of preimpact malfunctions was noted.