N73899

On October 5, 1997, at 1530 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N73899, operated by a private pilot was substantially damaged when it collided with the runway during landing at the Woodlake Landing Airport, near Sandwich, Illinois. The pilot and two passengers reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was on file. The flight originated from the Woodlake Landing Airport at 1500 CDT for a local flight.

In an interview, the pilot stated that he obtained weather information from a television broadcast prior to his planned local flight. The winds were reported out of the south at 30 knots with gusts. The pilot said that while taxiing to the north/south grass runway the winds were strong, and immediately after the southbound takeoff it became "gusty." He opted to stay in the traffic pattern and re-land. The pilot recalled that while on final the flaps were extended "one notch," and the indicated airspeed was 65 knots. After reducing the power to idle just prior to the flare, the pilot stated that the airplane encountered a wind shear. He said a gust pitched the airplane up, then the wind abruptly stopped, causing the airplane to pitch nose down and collide with the runway. The nose gear separated from the airframe and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. In an interview, the right seat passenger said that the approach seemed normal. The airplane leveled off over the runway, then floated for a little bit. He said the airplane then quickly nosed up then "banged down." He recalls the flaps extended "one notch" prior to impact. Neither the pilot nor the passenger remembers hearing a stall warning.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted an examination of the wreckage. Both the upper and lower engine cowls had separated from their respective attachment points around the firewall. The engine was hanging downward and to the right. The upper engine mounts were bent and broken. One of the propeller blades showed evidence of torsional bending. The nose gear assembly was broken free of the airframe, and the nose wheel was separated from the strut. The upper portions of both the vertical stabilizer and the rudder were wrinkled and crushed. The left wing tip was damaged after the accident while the airplane was being moved.