Takeoff & Initial Climb · NTSB WPR09FA316
CESSNA 172M — Rimrock, WA
| Date | June 28, 2009 |
| Location | Rimrock, WA |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 172M |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach-VFR go-around Collision during takeoff/land |
| Pilot age | 37 |
| Pilot total time | 79 hrs · Student / very low time |
| Time in type | 75 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2, 1 serious |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience-Pilot - F
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - F
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Decision related to condition
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Response/compensation - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
The pilot attempted to perform a landing at the back country turf airstrip. He had not landed at this airstrip before and witnesses reported gusty tail wind conditions existed as the pilot attempted the landing. The runway was surrounded by trees, and rapidly rising mountainous terrain existed at the departure end of the accident runway. The terrain is such that under most circumstances, landings are made in the direction of this runway irrespective of wind conditions. Witnesses observed the airplane approach the runway high and fast. The airplane did not touch down at the normal touchdown point, but rather continued at tree top level before the pilot added power about 3/4 of the way along the runway. The airplane then struck trees at the end of the runway in a nose high attitude. Post accident examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal flight. The pilot had relatively low total flight experience, which included 2 hours of total flight time in the preceding 90 days, with his last flight occurring 2 months prior to the accident. Additionally, he had no experience landing at turf airstrips, or airports located within mountainous terrain.