Cessna 172 N2982U accident near Belle Fourche, South Dakota

Probable cause

The flight instructor's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a go-around in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that he was demonstrating a "full [aerodynamic] stall" landing for the student pilot in "stiff" gusting crosswind conditions. He added that the airplane crossed the runway threshold at 2 ft, the stall warning sounded, and then a "strong [wind] gust lifted the aircraft to…[approximately] 6 feet with the stall warning still sounding." He further added that he immediately applied power to go around, but the "gust died out." Subsequently, the left wing dropped and impacted terrain, and the airplane nosed over.

The fuselage, right wing, and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.

The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

An automated weather observation station 17 nautical miles southwest from the accident site reported, about the time of the accident, wind from 110° at 12 knots. The landing was on runway 36.

The flight instructor failed to submit the National Transportation Safety Board Form 6120.1 Pilot/ Operator Aircraft Accident/ Incident Report.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA17CA513 for the full record.