Cessna 172 N5123E

Summary

On 27 September 2009 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N5123E, operated by Yankoski Robert D, was involved in an accident near Factoryville, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 September 2009 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Factoryville, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Seamans Field (9N3)

Coordinates

41.5894, -75.7561

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N5123E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Yankoski Robert D

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Selinsgrove → Factoryville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA539

1 person had minor injuries.

The flight instructor's delayed decision to take control of the airplane and execute a missed approach. Contributing to the accident was the lack of communication between the certificated flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and private pilot receiving instruction were conducting an instrument approach to a 2,500-foot long runway in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot receiving instruction was at the controls. As the airplane reached the minimum descent altitude, the pilot initiated a circle-to-land on the opposite runway. The CFI then said, "no," took control of the airplane, and conducted a "steep" turn to land on the approach runway. The pilot stated that they "had too much airspeed and floated almost halfway down the runway." Upon touchdown, the pilot reported "hydroplaning" on the wet runway. The airplane departed the end of the runway, slid down a grassy hill, and came to rest in a ditch, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall. The CFI stated "there was some confusion" regarding who was at the controls during touchdown, and he "should have taken over sooner" than he did. The pilot and the CFI reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures. The nearest weather reporting station, located approximately 15 nautical miles north of the accident site, reported winds from 310 degrees at 3 knots and 10 miles visibility around the time of the accident. The report also indicated that rain had ended about 15 minutes prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.