N13330

On April 30, 2000, at 1530 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N13330, collided with the ground during an attempted landing on a private airstrip in Clinton, Tennessee. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The local flight departed Clinton, Tennessee, at 1430.

The pilot reported that he was returning to the 1300 foot sod airstrip in Clinton after refueling at a nearby airport. According to the pilot, he maintained a final approach airspeed of 80 to 85 knots. After completing a before landing checklist, which included lowering wing flaps and applying carburetor heat, the pilot realized that the landing approach had a tailwind component. As the pilot continued the approach, the pilot said that the airspeed was too high for the approach and he did not feel that the airplane had sufficient engine power to clear the lake and higher terrain beyond the end of the runway. He elected to land long on the runway and ground looped the airplane to avoid an embankment and a lake on the departure end of the runway. An eyewitness stated that the airplane was fast and long over the runway for the landing.

Examination of the accident site showed that the airplane had rotated 180 degrees on the ground and was facing the opposite landing direction. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot.