No fatalities

13 Aug 2014: CESSNA 177 — PINE BLUFFS, WY

PINE BLUFFS, WY, United States

On 13 Aug 2014, a CESSNA 177 was involved in an aviation accident near PINE BLUFFS, WY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate flare and failure to maintain aircraft control while landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported wind shear or dust devil during landing flare. The airplane lifted, stalled, banked heavily, then impacted nose down. Substantial damage occurred; no mechanical issues were found.

Event Details

During the landing flare, the pilot experienced what he believed to be wind shear or a dust devil. Just before touchdown, the airplane lifted approximately 20 to 40 feet when the wind suddenly shifted to a tailwind, causing the airplane to stall.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that the right wing dropped and the airplane entered an approximate 45 to 60 degree angle of bank. He corrected the bank angle and leveled the wings but failed to apply full power to completely recover from the stall.

Impact and Damage

The airplane subsequently impacted the runway nose down, bounced, then settled to the runway. The firewall and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunction or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Causes

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome