Cessna 172R N392ES accident near Shelter Island, New York

Probable cause

The pilot did not attain the proper touchdown point on the runway, which resulted in a runway excursion.

NTSB analysis

In an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot stated that he had aborted two previous landing attempts, and landed “long” on the 1,700-foot turf runway. The airplane passed over a “hump” in the runway, became airborne again, touched down, and the pilot applied the brakes. The braking action was ineffective due to the freshly-cut grass clippings on the runway, and the pilot steered the airplane into thick brush and a pond rather than overrun the departure end of the runway. Interpolation of the airplane manufacturer’s landing distance chart revealed that the required landing distance over a 50-foot obstacle was approximately 1,300 feet. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA13CA378 for the full record.