Santa Paula, CA, USA
N327ME
Cessna 172S
The student pilot landed long, overran the runway's end, and collided with a block wall. The uncontrolled airport was equipped with several windsocks and a free-swinging tetrahedron. However, the student failed to correctly interpret the prevailing wind direction indicators and landed with a 10- to 15-knot tailwind. He was unable to stop before overrunning the runway's end.
On February 22, 2002, about 1330 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172S, N327ME, collided with a block wall during landing rollout at the Santa Paula Airport, Santa Paula, California. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the student pilot received a minor injury. The airplane was operated by Channel Islands Aviation, Camarillo, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The solo instructional flight was performed under 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Camarillo about 1310. The student's certified flight instructor (CFI) reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he had authorized his student to perform the round robin flight from Camarillo to Santa Paula. The student was in the final stages of training for a private pilot certificate, and he had logged about 126.6 flight hours in the accident airplane. The student reported to the Safety Board investigator that he had landed at the uncontrolled airport more than 15 times. During the accident flight, as he approached the airport, he believed that runway 22 was favored based upon the position of the windsock and tetrahedron. The pilot stated that his airspeed was 60 knots on final approach. He was a little high over the threshold, and the airplane floated. The wing flaps were fully extended. Although the airplane touched down on the first 1/3 of the runway, he was unable to stop. The airplane overran the runway's departure end and collided with a block wall. The student also reported that no mechanical malfunctions or failures were experienced with the airplane. A witness, who flies for a banner-towing business based at the airport, reported to the Safety Board investigator that the airport is equipped with three windsocks. It also has a functional, free-swinging tetrahedron. The witness stated that minutes earlier he had landed using runway 04, which was the favored runway due to the prevailing wind. Following his landing, another airplane departed using runway 04. Thereafter, the accident airplane landed with a tailwind on runway 22. At the time, the wind was from 040 degrees. Its speed was between 10 and 15 knots. The witness additionally indicated that his view of the mishap was unobstructed. He stated that the accident airplane floated 2/3 of the way down the runway, bounced once off its nose wheel, floated some more, and then, while still rolling between 15 and 20 knots, collided into a block wall. The Santa Paula Airport Association's report indicates that tire skid marks commenced on the runway 539 feet before its end. Thereafter, the airplane traveled an additional 357 feet beyond the end of the runway until colliding with the wall. Runway 22 is 2,650 feet long.
The pilot's selection of the wrong landing runway due to his failure to correctly interpret wind indicators, which resulted in his landing with a tailwind.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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