Summary
On September 14, 2011, a Cessna 172M (N9197H) was involved in an incident near Wendover, UT. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over.
The pilot had just performed three uneventful touch-and-go landings at a hard surface airport. He subsequently elected to depart for the local salt flats to perform an off-field landing. He overflew a prospective landing site, performing multiple flybys to assess the surface conditions. He observed an area with tire tracks, and concluded that the surface was therefore stable enough to perform a landing. He configured the airplane for a soft field landing, with the main landing gear touching the ground first. He reported that the ground felt firm as he lowered the nose; however, as the nose wheel touched the surface the airplane experienced a sudden deceleration, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer during the accident sequence.
This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR11CA449. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9197H.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot had just performed three uneventful touch-and-go landings at a hard surface airport. He subsequently elected to depart for the local salt flats to perform an off-field landing. He overflew a prospective landing site, performing multiple flybys to assess the surface conditions. He observed an area with tire tracks, and concluded that the surface was therefore stable enough to perform a landing. He configured the airplane for a soft field landing, with the main landing gear touching the ground first. He reported that the ground felt firm as he lowered the nose; however, as the nose wheel touched the surface the airplane experienced a sudden deceleration, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer during the accident sequence. Examination of the landing surface revealed that it consisted of soft wet mud, topped with a shallow dry crust. The airplane was equipped with conventional tires.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR11CA449