Caa accident report summary: CESSNA C172N
Date of accident: March 5 2000
Time of accident: 0718Z
Aircraft registration: ZS-NUB
Type Of aircraft: Cessna C172N
Pilot-in-command licence type: Private
Pilot-in-command flying experience: Total Flying Hours: 51.7
Hours on Type: 14.6
Last point of daparture: Lanseria Airport
Next point of intended landing: Lanseria Airport
Location of the accident site: Lanseria runway 06 Right
Meteorological information: Fine. Wind westerly at 5kt. Temp +17°C
Number of people on board: 1+3
Number of people injured: 1+1
Number of people killed: 0
Synopsis
The pilot stated that upon landing on Runway 06R at Lanseria Airport, the aircraft bounced slightly and started to drift to the left-hand side of the runway.
He then initiated a go-around in order to prevent drifting across towards runway 06L but the pilot stated that he was distracted due to the high workload and stalled the aircraft.
The aircraft crashed onto the grass between Runway 06R and Runway 06L at Lanseria. The pilot and one passenger were injured and taken to the Sunninghill Hospital.
Probable Cause
The pilot was distracted upon landing when the aircraft started drifting to the left-hand side of the runway and stalled the aircraft.
Jim’s analysis
Another poor guy with the ink still wet on his licence. We all know that you don’t get a licence in 40 hours any more. Between 50 and 70 is more like it. So this is probably our hero’s very first passenger-carryinng trip .
It is just after 9am on a fine almost windless Sunday morning. The pilot says he bounced ‘slightly’. If it was only a slight bounce why would he initiate a go-around? Let’s face it, it was more than a slight bounce and it was way over on the left hand side of the runway - where all new pilots land. Okay, he did have a slight crosswind from the right, a three or four knot component. But come on - he should know how to do crosswind landings so surely this breeze was no challange. I suspect he was fast, on the left hand side, and it was a substantial bounce - perhaps not life-threatening but also nothing to be proud of.
Now we must give him a round of applause - he chose not to crash. He applied full power and ... and ... and... then what? He stopped flying the aeroplane. What workload was he moaning about? He let the trim overpower him - the nose came up and he stalled. He simply stopped flying the aeroplane.
There is no work load. You fly the aeroplane with your left hand and use your right hand to smoothly increase to full power. Then - you keep flying the aeroplane.
And when you have built up a little speed in level flight you gently milk off the flaps, a bit at a time. And you keep flying the aircraft in levelish flight until you reach climb speed.
Then you put the nose in the climb attitude and go around for another try.
Where is the workload? Oh - you are talking about the trim are you? The difficult bit where you move your right hand a couple of inches away from the throttle and twiddle the pressure off the stick. Workload? I don’t think so.
I think this poor guy had never done a full load go-round in his life. He had never felt the huge stick pressure before and he let the aeroplane fly him instead of firmly keeping the nose level. His fault? Absolutely not, but his instructor should be looking for a job as a lift attendant.
What can we learn?
• If you are going to do a go-round, here’s how it works: smoothly apply full power at the same time level the nose and use sufficient right rudder to keep straight. You will need a strong forward pressure on the stick. At a safe speed start milking the flaps off gently.Trim as needed. Climb away along the centreline at the correct speed. Don’t answer the radio or call anyone until you have everything as you want it.
• If you are an instructor it is your duty to look after people’s lives. This is one of the most important manoeuvres, and mostly it isn’t taught properly - if at all.
• Let’s all try to land on the centreline. You usually land on the left - I’ll put money on it.
Jim Davis has 15,000 hours of immensely varied flying experience,
including 10,000 hours civil and military flying instruction. He is an
established author, his current projects being an instructors’ manual
and a collection of Air Accident analyses, called Choose Not To Crash. Visit Jim's website by clicking here.
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