Cessna 172S N169ER accident near East Haddam, Connecticut

Probable cause

The pilot's delayed decision to attempt a go-around, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control while landing.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, he was attempting to land on runway 32, a 2,120-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, asphalt runway, when he realized he was going to land "long," and attempted a go-around. He applied full throttle; however, the airplane touched down about halfway down the runway, and veered to the left. The airplane departed the left side of runway, and came to rest on grass about 75 feet from the runway. The nose gear separated and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that he did not experience any mechanical anomalies during the flight. He reported about 175 hours of total flight experience, all accumulated in the same make and model as the accident airplane. He also reported that winds at the time of the accident were from 200 degrees at 5 knots.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA10CA278 for the full record.