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Atlas / NTSB / ERA22LA176

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ERA22LA176

2022-04-02 Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States Airport · W50 Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N123LS

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 177RG

Year of manufacture

1973 · 49 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING IO-360-A1B6D (200 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19730212

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A05FE2

Registrant of record

BLACKFORD ROBERT G

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering on final approach which resulted in a high sink rate and subsequent collision with a fence.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported he was on final approach for a short field landing when the airplane developed an unexpected sink rate from which he did not have time to recover. The airplane subsequently struck a fence bordering the runway and impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. A witness located on the approach end of the runway reported that the airplane appeared to be low and at an abnormally slow airspeed, and immediately before impact with the fence, the airplane pitched up rapidly. The pilot stated that he got behind the airplane on approach and there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA176.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.