Summary
On December 27, 2008, a Cessna 172R (N178AF) was involved in an incident near Morristown, NJ. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The flight instructor's failure to execute a missed approach when insufficient runway remained for landing. Contributing to the accident were the low ceiling and visibility conditions.
The instructor and his pilot-rated student were conducting instrument work; reported weather included a vertical visibility of 200 feet and 1/4 mile visibility in fog. After the first instrument landing system approach with the student at the controls, the runway was not visually acquired at the decision height and a missed approach was performed. The instructor took the controls for the second approach and asked the student to monitor the radios and look for the runway environment. At 400 feet above ground level, the instructor saw the runway below him, but the airplane was "slightly high on the glideslope and a little fast..." He elected to attempt a landing, reducing the throttle to idle and adding full flaps.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA09CA110. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N178AF.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The flight instructor's failure to execute a missed approach when insufficient runway remained for landing. Contributing to the accident were the low ceiling and visibility conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The instructor and his pilot-rated student were conducting instrument work; reported weather included a vertical visibility of 200 feet and 1/4 mile visibility in fog. After the first instrument landing system approach with the student at the controls, the runway was not visually acquired at the decision height and a missed approach was performed. The instructor took the controls for the second approach and asked the student to monitor the radios and look for the runway environment. At 400 feet above ground level, the instructor saw the runway below him, but the airplane was "slightly high on the glideslope and a little fast..." He elected to attempt a landing, reducing the throttle to idle and adding full flaps. The airplane touched down long and the instructor was unable to stop the airplane on the remaining runway. The airplane collided with a snow bank, resulting in structural damage to the fuselage.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA09CA110