Undetermined · NTSB ERA22FA161
CESSNA 172 — Dahlonega, GA
| Date | March 19, 2022 |
| Location | Dahlonega, GA |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 172 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Landing-aborted after touchdown Miscellaneous/other |
| Pilot age | 39 |
| Pilot total time | 94 hrs · Student / very low time |
| Time in type | 94 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-(general)-Pilot
What happened
The pilot obtained his private pilot certificate about 1 year prior to the accident and had accumulated a total flight experience of approximately 94 hours at the time of the accident. Toward the end of the cross-country flight, the pilot flew a straight-in approach to a valley airport. The airplane made a high speed approach (about 95 knots true airspeed) with the flaps retracted. Witnesses reported that the airplane touched down and bounced twice on its nose landing gear. When the airplane was toward the end of the runway, engine noise increased, and the airplane began a climbing left turn to clear trees. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain.
Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The debris path and impact signatures were consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Based on the evidence, the pilot likely made a delayed decision to perform a go-around after touchdown and exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack as the airplane began the climbing left turn to avoid trees.