Warrenton, VA, USA
N2975X
Cessna 177
While on final approach, the airplane was too low, and the pilot increased engine power to correct. However, the pilot overcorrected, and the airplane landed long. The pilot then attempted to abort the landing by adding full power, and fully retracting the flaps. During the attempt, the airplane's empennage struck an embankment, separated, and the airplane came to rest upright at the departure end of the runway. Review of an owner's manual for the make and model airplane revealed that the flaps should have been retracted half-way during an aborted landing.
On August 29, 2004, about 1115 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177, N2975X, was substantially damaged while landing at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport (W66), Warrenton, Virginia. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Shannon Airport (EZF), Fredericksburg, Virginia. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated that he flew a traffic pattern approach for runway 14; a 4,103-foot-long, 60-foot-wide, asphalt runway. While on final approach, the airplane was too low, and the pilot increased engine power to correct. The pilot further stated that he overcorrected, crossed the threshold high, and landed long. The pilot then attempted to abort the landing by adding full power, and fully retracting the flaps. During the attempt, the airplane's empennage struck an embankment, separated, and the airplane came to rest upright at the departure end of the runway. Review of a Cessna 177 Owner's Manual revealed: "Balked Landing (Go-Around)... Wing Flaps - Retract to 1/2." The reported wind at an airport approximately 12 miles northeast of the accident site, at 1055, was from 210 degrees at 5 knots.
The pilot's incorrect aborted landing procedure, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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