NTSB Factual Report

On August 19, 2006, at 1845 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N51887, registered to Lancaster Aviation, LLC, and operated by Rock Hill Aviation, LLC, as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, collided with trees off the end of runway 5 at Chester Municipal Airport in Chester, South Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from York County Bryant Airport in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on August 19, 2006, at 1730.

The CFI stated that while providing instruction to the student near the Chester Municipal Airport, "at approximately 3500 feet we began a simulated engine failure emergency." The student selected the Chester Airport just below them to do a forced landing. They circled runway 5, and announced their intentions on the Unicom frequency. The CFI stated that the "student turned a bit early for final and I took the controls back from him to place the aircraft into a slip and lose the excess altitude." The CFI stated that the runway at Chester was 5,000 feet long, and they landed approximately halfway down the runway in a normal landing attitude using full flaps. According to the CFI, not long before they landed, there was a rain shower, which soaked the field and the runway. He stated that after touchdown, he applied brakes and found that they were useless due to a combination of wet brakes and hydroplaning. He stated that the runway also had grass growing through it, which he believed contributed to their slide. By that time, they had rolled down the runway too far to attempt a go-around. So, they committed to running off the end of the runway. The airplane came to a stop a few hundred feet off the end of runway 5 into some trees damaging both wings and the nose gear. Both the CFI and student egressed without injury. When asked why the airplane ran off the end of the runway, the CFI stated, "Do not land long on a wet runway."

According to an airport employee, who is a multi-engine instrument rated pilot, he observed a single-engine Cessna approaching on a northbound heading of approximately 350-degrees. The airplane made a constant steep descending left turn to the approach end of runway 05. "As the airplane crossed the threshold, it appeared to be high and continued to descend toward the runway with excessive airspeed." He stated the airplane touchdown at high speed with only a quarter of the runway remaining and was engulfed with a heavy mist of water spray at it left the pavement into the grassy end of the runway. He went to the airport terminal office and noticed the winds on the weather station were from 240 degrees at 8 knots. He then went to the accident site and observed that the pilot and passenger had already exited the airplane with no injuries.

According to an FAA Inspector, the airplane sustained damage to the left wing spar, the nose gear, and propeller. The pilot had stated to the FAA Inspector that the airplane was operating normally before the accident.

NTSB Probable Cause

The CFI's failure to initiate a go-around when he noticed the flight was high and fast during the approach resulting in the flight landing long, overrunning the runway, and colliding with trees. Factors in the accident were a tail wind and a wet runway.