PRESCOTT, AZ, USA
N5535D
Cessna 172N
While landing in a crosswind, the aircraft was unexpectedly blown toward the right side of the runway. At the time, the airplane was in a left wing low, forward slip, with full flaps at a landing airspeed. The left main gear touched down first and the aircraft yawed left and ran off the side of the runway. The pilot said he had not been quick enough in applying rudder to maintain runway alignment and he decided to go around. He added power and raised the flaps but was unable to sufficiently maintain flying speed once the airplane lifted off the ground. He tried to accelerate in ground effect but the aircraft landed hard off the side of the runway and bounced. He felt he had lost control and abruptly closed the throttle and applied the brakes. The airplane then ground looped to a stop in the grass area off the side of the runway.
On July 25, 1999, at 0719 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N5535D, landed hard during an aborted landing attempt at the Prescott, Arizona, airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage; however, the student pilot was not injured. The instructional flight was operated Aero Vista, of Sedona, Arizona, under the provisions 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from the Sedona airport at 0645. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that he was landing on runway 21L when he was unexpectedly blown off toward the right side of the runway. At the time, the pilot was compensating for a crosswind condition with a left wing low, forward slip attitude with full flaps and a 65-knot approach speed. He said that the left main gear touched down first and the airplane yawed left and ran off the left side of the runway. The student added that he had not been quick enough in applying the correct amount of right rudder to maintain runway alignment so he decided to go around. He added power and raised the flap lever but was unable to sufficiently maintain flying speed as the airplane lifted off the runway. He tried to avoid stalling by trying to remain in ground effect but, in spite of his efforts, the aircraft landed hard off the left side of the runway and bounced. At this point, he said he felt that he had lost control and reacted by abruptly closing the throttle and applying the brakes. The airplane ground looped, drug its left wingtip, and finally came to rest on the grass short of taxiway D2. The wind direction and velocity at the time of the accident were being reported by Prescott air terminal information service (ATIS) as 160 degrees and 6 knots.
the student pilot's premature retraction of the flaps during an aborted landing and his failure to obtain/maintain adequate flying airspeed, which resulted in a stall/mush condition and the airplane settling back onto the ground. The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the subsequent ground roll was also causal.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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