Summary
On August 30, 2017, a Cessna 172 (N2982U) was involved in an accident near Belle Fourche, SD. The accident resulted in 2 minor injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The flight instructor's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a go-around in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
The flight instructor reported that, he was demonstrating a "full [aerodynamic] stall" landing for the student pilot in "stiff" gusting crosswind conditions. He added that, the airplane crossed the runway threshold at two feet, the stall warning sounded, and then a "strong [wind] gust lifted the aircraft to appx [approximately] 6 feet with the stall warning still sounding." He further added that, he immediately applied power to go-around, but the "gust died out." Subsequently, the left wing dropped, impacted terrain, and the airplane nosed over.
The fuselage, right wing, and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.
This accident is documented in NTSB report GAA17CA513. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2982U.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The flight instructor's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a go-around in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that, he was demonstrating a "full [aerodynamic] stall" landing for the student pilot in "stiff" gusting crosswind conditions. He added that, the airplane crossed the runway threshold at two feet, the stall warning sounded, and then a "strong [wind] gust lifted the aircraft to appx [approximately] 6 feet with the stall warning still sounding." He further added that, he immediately applied power to go-around, but the "gust died out." Subsequently, the left wing dropped, impacted terrain, and the airplane nosed over.
The fuselage, right wing, and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.
The flight instructor did not report that there were any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
An automated weather observation station, about the time of the accident, 17 nautical miles southwest from the accident site, reported wind from 110° at 12 knots. The landing was on runway 36.
The flight instructor failed to submit the NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/ Operator Aircraft Accident/ Incident Report.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA17CA513