Cessna 172B N7837X accident near Redding, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper decision to land the airplane on a short runway with a tailwind and his subsequent delayed decision to abort the landing.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot reported that, while landing after a cross-country flight, the landing roll seemed "fast" even though the airplane touched down "not far" past the runway numbers. The pilot determined that he would not be able to stop the airplane on the remaining runway, so he applied full power and aborted the landing. The airplane was in ground effect as it passed over the departure end of the runway. The pilot thought that the airplane was not going to clear the tree line in its flightpath, so he maneuvered the airplane to land on a dirt road. During the landing roll, the left wing impacted a barbed wire fence. The pilot reported that, during the initial landing, he "landed with a stiff tailwind on a short runway." The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

During the accident, the passenger seated in the front right seat was ejected from the airplane and sustained a serious injury. According to the pilot, the passenger's seat had been in the "full rearward" position, which placed the lap belt attachment points about "mid-thigh" and probably did not allow the shoulder harness to be "tightened securely."

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16LA001 for the full record.