Summary
On July 02, 2017, a Cessna 172 (N4482L) was involved in an incident near Tucson, AZ. 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 failure to maintain pitch and yaw control during the landing roll in crosswind conditions.
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane pitched up and yawed to the right because of a "dust devil". He added that he applied full power, but was unable to maintain level flight, and the right wing then the left wing struck the runway. The airplane touched down, collapsing the nose landing gear, and the airplane slid about 60 to 70 ft.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station, located on the airport, reported that about 40 minutes before the accident the wind was from 300° at 9 knots, gusting 16 knots.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA17CA380. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4482L.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain pitch and yaw control during the landing roll in crosswind conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane pitched up and yawed to the right because of a "dust devil". He added that he applied full power, but was unable to maintain level flight, and the right wing then the left wing struck the runway. The airplane touched down, collapsing the nose landing gear, and the airplane slid about 60 to 70 ft.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station, located on the airport, reported that about 40 minutes before the accident the wind was from 300° at 9 knots, gusting 16 knots. The same automated weather observation station reported that about 15 minutes after the accident the wind was from 220° at 9 knots. The airplane landed on runway 24R.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA17CA380