Cessna 172P N9567L accident near Santa Ynez, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in exceedance of the critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall/spin, with insufficient altitude for recovery.

The student pilot’s exceedance of the critical angle of attack which resulted in a stall and subsequent spin during a go-around.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot reported that while landing to the runway, he performed two go-arounds, and on the . On the third landing attempt to land, he experienced two “bumps” followed by a gust of wind which aggravated the third “bump” into an oscillation that slammed the airplane into the ground and it became airborne. The pilot , which prompted the pilot to performed a “touch-and go.” procedure” According to the pilot, while on climb out, he heard “he heard the engine die” and began the procedures for an emergency landing without engine power. While in a left turn to avoid obstacles, He reported that while in a left turn, the airplane stalled and subsequently entered a spin. spun. His last recollections were of trying to correct the spin.

A witness reported that they observed the airplane on the third landing, and that it landed hard, bounced multiple times, and struck the tail and possibly the propeller before it began to climb. The witness stated that the airplane then turned left and about 150 to 200 ft above ground level (agl), it banked left and then descended and impacted the ground. They added that the engine sounded like it was at full rpm until it impacted the ground.

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR24LA181 for the full record.