N55218

On August 23, 1999, about 1620 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N55218, registered to Yellow Jacket Flying Club, experienced a loss of control on landing at the Clayton County-Tara Field Airport, Hampton, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated about 1530, from the Fulton County Airport-Brown Field, Atlanta, Georgia.

The pilot stated that when the flight was 5 miles north of the destination airport, he called on the common traffic advisory frequency twice but received no response. He flew over the airport and observed that the wind sock indicated that the wind was from 150-160 degrees at 10-12 knots. He initially planned on landing on runway 24 but elected to enter the traffic pattern for runway 06 after hearing another airplane advise that they were using runway 06. He entered right downwind, base, then final approach, where he performed a 360 degree turn to allow for clearance for a departing airplane. He returned for landing and with the flaps extended 20 degrees, the flight was landed long, and bounced. While descending following the bounced landing, he felt the airplane "shift" to the right. The airplane then touched down and began rolling to the right. He applied left rudder and brakes but the airplane rolled off the right side of the runway and collided with a taxiway sign, which separated the right main landing gear. He estimated that the airplane rolled off the runway 600 feet before coming to rest.

According to FAA personnel, the airplane was landed 2/3 down the 4,503-foot runway, bounced, traveled off the right side of the runway where the right main landing gear collided with a taxiway marker sign. The right main landing gear separated from the airplane and as a result, damaged the right horizontal stabilizer.