Summary
On July 16, 2019, a Cessna 172 (N1079M) was involved in an incident near Grand Canyon, AZ. All 4 people 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 lateral control during landing in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the left wing striking the ground.
The pilot reported that, during approach to land, he corrected for a left crosswind. After crossing the threshold, he reduced power and as he was about to touch down, the airplane "rolled" to the left and the left wing struck the runway. The airplane immediately "righted itself" and he landed the airplane. He added that the runway strike caused a "minor misalignment" with the airplane.
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.
The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 36 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 210° at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA424. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N1079M.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain lateral control during landing in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the left wing striking the ground.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during approach to land, he corrected for a left crosswind. After crossing the threshold, he reduced power and as he was about to touch down, the airplane "rolled" to the left and the left wing struck the runway. The airplane immediately "righted itself" and he landed the airplane. He added that the runway strike caused a "minor misalignment" with the airplane.
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.
The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 36 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 210° at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots. The same automated station reported that, about 24 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 210° at 17 knots, gusting to 25 knots, with a peak wind reported 3 minutes after the accident from 220° at 27 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 21.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA19CA424