Cessna 172M N73182

Summary

On 1 July 2012 at about 01:30 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N73182, operated by Sudmann Elimar F, was involved in an accident near Griswold, Iowa, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

1 July 2012 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Griswold, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Private

Coordinates

41.3333, -95.0833

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N73182

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Sudmann Elimar F

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlantic → Griswold

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA408

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during an attempted go-around, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger departed from a 2,500-foot-long private airstrip; they then made two passes over the airstrip before returning to land the airplane. The pilot reported that his vision was affected by the setting sun, crop shadows, and a barn during the landing and that he landed long and fast. As the end of the airstrip approached, the pilot applied power for a go-around, but, according to the pilot, the engine did not produce power; the airplane became airborne, and the pilot turned left, but the airplane could not hold altitude. The airplane impacted a field just south of the airstrip. A witness reported that the engine maintained power throughout the accident sequence; additional witnesses reported that the airplane lost airspeed and stalled while in a turn. Examination of the propeller blades revealed signatures consistent with engine power being produced at the time of impact; examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preaccident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The accident is consistent with inadequate airspeed followed by an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.