Cessna 172S N523ND accident near Park Rapids, Minnesota

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper climb rate during a night takeoff.

NTSB analysis

The pilot performed a go-around on the first attempted landing at the airport during night visual meteorological conditions. On the second attempt, he landed about mid-field and performed a stop and go landing. He initiated the takeoff using 10-degrees of flaps. The pilot reported that when he reached about 100 feet above ground level, he retracted the flaps. He felt that the airspeed was a little low (70 knots IAS) so he pushed the nose over. He stated that he did not think he was in a descent, but the airplane hit the ground about 100 feet from the end of the runway. The nose gear collapsed and both wings were damaged as the airplane bounced and skidded to a stop. The examination of the accident site revealed eight ground scars in the grass which were consistent with propeller strikes. The propeller blades exhibited leading edge nicks and gouges, chordwise scratching, and blade twist. The inspection of the airplane’s flight controls revealed no preexisting anomalies. The pilot reported that he had 112 hours of flight time with 112 hours in make and model. He had flown 9 hours at night which included 2 hours of night experience when he was pilot-in-command.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09LA579 for the full record.