Undetermined · NTSB MIA08FA038
CESSNA 172L — Clearwater, FL
| Date | January 12, 2008 |
| Location | Clearwater, FL |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 172L |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach Abrupt maneuver |
| Pilot age | 31 |
| Pilot total time | 172 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | 153 hrs |
| Fatalities | 3 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Maximum weight-Capability exceeded - F
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
The private-certificated pilot was on the return leg in the Cessna 172L airplane, and at the time of the accident, was operating the airplane 24 pounds above the design gross weight. When near the destination airport, air traffic control (ATC) advised the pilot to expect a left downwind for runway 22, which the pilot acknowledged. The flight proceeded towards the destination airport and the pilot was cleared to land on runway 22. The pilot entered what appeared to be the downwind leg for runway 22, but turned left onto final approach for runway 27, and was asked by the controller if he was lined up for runway 22. The pilot responded with, "zero zero quebec sorry about that." Witnesses and the controller noted an abrupt right turn, followed by the airplane stalling and impacting water short of the runway. Examination of the airplane and the flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The engine was started and operated normally.