Incident Overview
During the landing flare, the aircraft ballooned upward. The student pilot added power to regain control, but the aircraft drifted to the north side of the runway, prompting the pilot to elect a go-around. Full power was applied, and the flaps were raised from full (40 degrees) to zero.
Stall and Impact
Following the flap retraction, the stall warning horn sounded. The aircraft dropped and impacted terrain to the side of the runway.
Manufacturer's Balked Landing Procedure
According to the Cessna 172N Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), the recommended balked landing procedure is to raise flaps to 20 degrees, achieve a climb speed of 55 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), then raise flaps to 10 degrees until obstacles are cleared, and completely retract flaps at a safe altitude and 60 KIAS.
Stall Speeds and Recovery
The airplane's wings-level stall speed ranges from approximately 41 KIAS (47 knots calibrated airspeed [KCAS]) with full flaps to approximately 47 KIAS (53 KCAS) with flaps up. Maximum altitude loss during a stall recovery in the Cessna 172N may be as much as 180 feet.
Pilot Information
The student pilot, who received his initial solo endorsement 11 days before the accident, reported his total time as 14 hours.