Cessna 172M N73154 accident near Ackerman, Mississippi

Probable cause

The excessive airplane speed during a no-flap landing, and the pilot’s failure to attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was the interference of the instrument panel wiring with the flight control system.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, the airplane control yoke became hard to move, the pitch trim control wheel became loose, and the airplane lost electrical power. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport with a 3,000-ft long runway for a precautionary landing but performed a go-around because the airplane was too high. During the second approach for landing, the pilot placed the airplane into a slip to further reduce its altitude and landed about halfway down the runway at a speed of 83 knots with the wing flaps fully retracted. The pilot applied brakes to try to stop the airplane, but the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and nosed over in a grass field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the vertical stabilizer.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the alternator power and ground terminals were not securely attached to the alternator, which would have resulted in an interruption of electrical power delivery to the electrical system and prevented the extension of the electrically operated wing flaps. Examination of the pitch control system revealed a separated pitch trim cable. There was no impingement of the pitch control system at the time of recovery and examination; however, one of the wires behind the instrument panel exhibited chafing indicative of interference with the flight control system’s cables and pulleys.

The circumstances of the accident are consistent with excessive airspeed during the no-flap landing, which resulted in a runway overrun.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24LA366 for the full record.