IAD02LA093

Factual narrative

On September 13, 2002, at 0045 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177, N2916X, was substantially damaged during a landing at Dayton Wright Brothers Airport (MGY), Dayton, Ohio. The certificated private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Lunken Field (LUK), Cincinnati, Ohio, about 2345. No flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. During a telephone interview, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector stated that he examined the airplane, and interviewed the pilot at the scene along with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. According to the inspector, the pilot and his passengers were returning to Dayton after attending a baseball game in Cincinnati. The pilot reported that he attempted to land on runway 02 at Wright Brothers Airport. During the landing flare, the airplane "ballooned", and he elected to go around. At the time, the airplane was in a "very slow flight configuration " and would not gain airspeed or climb during the go-around. The pilot elected to land the airplane at the departure end of the runway approached, because it would not climb and was not under control. He said the speed was high at touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered off the runway. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. His most recent FAA third class medical certificate was issued on August 9, 2002. The pilot reported 150 hours of flight experience, 80 hours of which were in make and model. A review of excerpts from the pilot's logbook revealed the pilot completed a biennial flight review on August 15, 2002, about 1 hour in duration, and he completed another flight on September 3, 2002, that was 0.6 hour in duration. Prior to those flights, the pilot's most recent flight was documented on October 29, 2001. The pilot's most recent documented night flight experience was on October 30, 2000. The pilot reported there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. When asked what could have prevented the accident, he said, "Not allowing the nose to come up on landing." Runway 02 at Dayton Wright Brothers Airport was 5,000 feet long and 100 feet wide. At 0053, the weather reported at the airport included clear skies and winds from 080 degrees at 5 knots. The private pilot attempted to land, but during the landing flare the airplane "ballooned", so he elected to go around. The airplane was in a "very slow flight configuration " and would not gain airspeed or climb during the go-around. The pilot then elected to land the airplane as the departure end of the runway approached, because it would not climb and was not under control. The speed was high at touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered off the runway. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12