| Crash location | 34.601667°N, 78.579445°W |
| Nearest city | Dublin, NC
34.656836°N, 78.726407°W 9.2 miles away |
| Tail number | N4383Q |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 31 Dec 2010 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172 |
| Additional details: | None |
On December 31, 2010, about 1630 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172L, N4383Q, was substantially damaged during a runway overrun after landing at Dublin Field Airport (NC82), Dublin, North Carolina. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed Curtis L. Brown Jr. Field Airport (EYF), Elizabethtown, North Carolina, about 1530. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot stated that the owner of the airplane asked him to fly the airplane from EYF to NC82 following the completion of its annual inspection. The pilot fueled the airplane, conducted a preflight inspection, and performed three touch-and-go landings at EYF before departing for NC82, which he had never flown to previously.
According to the pilot, after arrival at NC82, he circled the airstrip several times to familiarize himself, then initiated a visual approach to runway 21 but performed a go-around due to glare from the sun. Because the wind was calm, he elected to land on runway 03, and reported the approach for landing was "typical" until the base-to-final turn, where he noticed the airspeed indicator was indicating zero. He tapped on the glass of the instrument but there was no change. He felt "reasonably comfortable" and elected to continue the approach, touching down about one-third down the wet 2,186-foot turf runway. He noted that the airplane was faster than he had expected, and he applied the brakes to stop the airplane, but was unable. The airplane overran the end of the runway, crossed a road, and travelled into a field where the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot stated that he received no anomalous indications from any of the flight instruments prior to turning onto final approach.
Post accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar, and vertical stabilizer. The airspeed indicator displayed 145 miles per hour (mph) as depicted by the outer scale, or approximately 126 knots as depicted by the inner scale. The altimeter displayed the correct field elevation, and the vertical speed indicator displayed zero. The inspector stated that, when the pitot tube was blown into, the airspeed indicator "pegged out," then returned to the original value after the air pressure was removed. The airplane was recovered for further examination which required removal in part of the left wing.
The airplane's pitot-static system was tested with FAA oversight following recovery of the airplane. Before the start of the test the airspeed indicator read 0 mph. A calibration test box was plumbed to the fuselage pitot line at the fuselage sidewall, and air pressure was applied in 20 mph increments from 40 mph to red line; a calibration error of approximately 5 mph was noted. Air pressure was reduced to 140 mph and maintained for approximately 5 minutes; the airspeed indicator maintained a steady indication throughout the test. Air pressure was then reduced to zero and the airspeed indication decreased accordingly with no sticking noted. The entire test was repeated with the same results noted. Testing of the section of pitot tube in the left wing revealed no leaks. A test line was connected to the end of pitot-static line at the left wing root and also to the end of pitot-static line at the fuselage root. Testing of the entire pitot-static system was performed in that configuration and no calibration error or sticking was noted of the airspeed indicator.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and instrument airplane ratings. He reported approximately 500 total hours of flight experience, of which approximately 50 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent third-class FAA medical certificate was issued February 12, 2008.
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1971, and had accumulated a total operating time of 3894.2 hours. The airplane's last annual inspection was completed December 30, 2010. According to the owner of the airplane, the pitot-static system had not been tested in several years, since the airplane was operated only under visual flight rules.
The 1640 weather observation at EYF, located approximately 7 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, included calm winds, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 16 degrees C, dew point 7 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.24 inches of mercury.
The pilot was advised to complete and submit the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form; however, the report was not received by NTSB.
The pilot’s improper touchdown speed which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was the undetermined malfunction of the airspeed indicator.