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Accidents›United States›PA›Cessna 172S (N860TW)

Cessna 172S (N860TW)

Go-around loss of control at Northeast Philadelphia Airport August 3, 2023, 10:54 EDT · Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE)
Accident
Serious outcome
1 minor / 2 aboard
No fatalities
Investigation status
Final report published
NTSB · Final report published

Case summary

During an instructional flight, a student pilot's bounced landing led the flight instructor to call for a go-around. As the Cessna 172 powered up, its nose pitched sharply up and the airplane yawed and rolled left, striking the ground beside the runway and nosing over. Both occupants survived with only minor injury, but the airplane was substantially damaged.

Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP, same model as the accident aircraft (file photo, not the accident airplane)
Cessna 172S Skyhawk
4-seat single-engine trainer
Key facts
Aircraft
Cessna 172 S
Registration
N860TW
Location
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaNortheast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), runway 15
Operation
Local instructional flight, Tailwinds Flight SchoolTouch-and-go / landing practice
Phase of flight
Go-around after a bounced landingNose-high pitch, left yaw/roll, loss of control
Operation
Instructional (Part 91)
Occupants
2
Fatalities
0
Serious injuries
0
Minor injuries
1
Damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC, 10 mi visibilityWind 200° at 6 kt, gusting 14 kt

What happened

Source: NTSB Final Report

The pilot receiving instruction reported that while on final approach, the airspeed became slow so he lowered the airplane nose to increase the airspeed. The airplane landed firmly at the runway threshold and bounced. During the recovery from the bounce, the flight instructor commanded a go-around maneuver. During the go-around, the airplane's nose rose high, and the airplane yawed and rolled to the left. The airplane impacted the ground alongside the runway and nosed over.

Why it happened

Source: NTSB Final Report
NTSB probable causeNTSB

"The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain control during a go-around. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight."

Contributing factors
  • Bounced landing at the runway threshold
  • Go-around initiated during recovery from the bounce
  • Abrupt nose-up pitch and left yaw/roll during the go-around
  • Pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain control
  • Flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight
Safety takeaways
A firm, bounced landing calls for a stabilized go-around, not a rushed recovery — add power smoothly and let the airplane fly away cleanly.
Gusty crosswind conditions (6 kt gusting 14 kt here) make a bounced landing more likely and a go-around more demanding — brief the go-around technique before every approach in gusty winds, not just after a bad bounce.
On a go-around, anticipate the nose-up pitch from full power and be ready to counter it immediately with forward pressure — an unchecked pitch-up at low airspeed is how a go-around becomes a stall.
Left-turning tendencies (P-factor, torque) are strongest at high power and low airspeed, exactly the go-around regime — be ready for a yaw toward the dead side without over-correcting.
Instructors should keep a hand near the controls during a student's go-around after a bounce — this is one of the highest-workload moments in a training flight, and recovery time if things go wrong is measured in a second or two.

Photos & media (2)

NTSB docket photographs (courtesy FAA), CEN23LA348
The Cessna 172 nosed over on the grass beside the runway, with the bent vertical stabilizer and empennage visible
Damaged empennageN860TW · NTSB (courtesy FAA) · Open PDF
Close view of the damaged left wing, lift strut, and cockpit area after the accident
Damaged left wing and lift strutN860TW · NTSB (courtesy FAA) · Open PDF
Aircraft
Cessna 172 S
Registration
N860TW
Location
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaNortheast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), runway 15
Operation
Local instructional flight, Tailwinds Flight SchoolTouch-and-go / landing practice
Phase of flight
Go-around after a bounced landingNose-high pitch, left yaw/roll, loss of control
Operation
Instructional (Part 91)
Occupants
2
Fatalities
0
Serious injuries
0
Minor injuries
1
Damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC, 10 mi visibilityWind 200° at 6 kt, gusting 14 kt
A firm, bounced landing calls for a stabilized go-around, not a rushed recovery — add power smoothly and let the airplane fly away cleanly.
Gusty crosswind conditions (6 kt gusting 14 kt here) make a bounced landing more likely and a go-around more demanding — brief the go-around technique before every approach in gusty winds, not just after a bad bounce.
On a go-around, anticipate the nose-up pitch from full power and be ready to counter it immediately with forward pressure — an unchecked pitch-up at low airspeed is how a go-around becomes a stall.
Left-turning tendencies (P-factor, torque) are strongest at high power and low airspeed, exactly the go-around regime — be ready for a yaw toward the dead side without over-correcting.
Instructors should keep a hand near the controls during a student's go-around after a bounce — this is one of the highest-workload moments in a training flight, and recovery time if things go wrong is measured in a second or two.
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