N61648

On October 25, 1998, about 1000 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 172M, N61648, was substantially damaged during landing at Mexico Farms Airfield (1W3), Cumberland, Maryland. The certificated private pilot was uninjured, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the flight between Washington County Regional Airport (HGR), Hagerstown, Maryland, and Mexico Farms. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot's written statement, the airplane was high on the approach, so he increased angle of descent instead of using full flaps or slipping. The airplane "landed long and hot," and approaching the end of the runway, the pilot saw what appeared to be a ditch. He pulled full back on the yoke to avoid shearing off the nose wheel, and the airplane became airborne for about 100 feet. When the airplane came back down, it initially landed on the left and nose landing gear, and the propeller and left wing struck the ground. The airplane then bounced down on the right landing gear, and the right wing struck the ground. The pilot wrote that he "could have and should have gone around rather than attempting to force plane down in [the] length remaining after touchdown."