Cessna 172 N54971 accident near Monticello, Indiana

Probable cause

The pilot stalled the airplane during a go-around. Contributing to the accident included the pilot's improper in-flight decision, the tailwind landing, and the pilot's failure to put the carburetor Heat to "OFF" during the go-around.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and three passengers in a Cessna 172P, which had 40 gallons of fuel on board, were on final approach to runway 36 after a 30 minute flight. The pilot reported that when the airplane was about 50 feet above ground level (agl), he executed a go-around because it felt like the winds were pushing the airplane left of the runway. He pushed in the throttle, raised the flaps 1 notch, and gradually raised the airplane's pitch attitude. (He did not push in the Carburetor Heat to the OFF position.) He reported that the airplane stalled and subsequently nosed over when the propeller impacted the terrain. The airport manager observed the airplane approaching from the south and landing on runway 36 even though the winds were out of the south. He reported that the pilot attempted to go-around when the airplane was about 15 feet agl, but the airplane stalled as it attempted to climb at low airspeed with a tailwind component. The airport manager noted that the winds were 220 degrees at 12 knots. A windsock and wind "T" were installed at the airport.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09CA041 for the full record.