No fatalities

13 Apr 2008: Cessna 172S — West Valley Flying Club — Gualala, CA

Gualala, CA, United States

On 13 Apr 2008, a Cessna 172S operated by West Valley Flying Club was involved in an aviation accident near Gualala, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision not to use all of the available runway, his premature rotation and failure to obtain and maintain an adequate airspeed to continue the takeoff that resulted in a stall/mush, an aborted takeoff, a runway overrun, and a collision with… This summary draws on records from NTSB; 17 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

An airplane overran the end of runway 13 after an aborted takeoff, went down a hillside, and collided with trees about 600 feet from the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions.

The Incident

According to the airport manager, the airplane began its takeoff on the 2,500-foot-long runway 13 from the displaced threshold, which is 400 feet from the approach end of the runway. The pilot stated that he rotated at 55 knots and the airplane lifted off the runway but would not climb. Almost immediately, the stall warning horn began to sound, prompting the pilot to lower the nose to gain speed. The airplane then settled back onto the runway.

Aborted Takeoff

The pilot reduced power and began applying brakes to abort the takeoff. The airplane overran the end of the runway, went down a hillside, and collided with trees about 600 feet from the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.

Pilot Report

The pilot did not report any mechanical issues with the aircraft. The investigation did not specify any other factors contributing to the event.

Contributing factors

Causes

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedPilotDecision related to condition

Other contributing factors

Tree(s)Effect on operation