At about 22:46 Pacific time, a Cessna 172M crashed on initial climb following an aborted landing on runway 23 at Placerville Airport. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The pilot had obtained his private license about six weeks earlier and the accident flight was the pilots first nighttime, solo, cross-country flight since certification. He said that on his first approach the airplane appeared too high so he went around. On the second approach he also believed he was too high, but the airplane touched down on the runway. The pilot did not think he could stop on the remaining runway, so he applied power to go around. The airplane stalled and crashed about a half-mile west of the airport.
July 24, Placerville, Calif. / Cessna Skyhawk
At about 22:46 Pacific time, a Cessna 172M crashed on initial climb following an aborted landing on runway 23 at Placerville Airport. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The pilot had obtained his private license about six weeks earlier and the accident flight was the pilots first nighttime, solo, cross-country flight since certification. He said that on his first approach the airplane appeared too high so he went around. On the second approach he also believed he was too high, but the airplane touched down on the runway. The pilot did not think he could stop on the remaining runway, so he applied power to go around. The airplane stalled and crashed about a half-mile west of the airport....
Key Takeaways:
- A recently licensed pilot crashed a Cessna 172M at Placerville Airport during his first solo nighttime cross-country flight, sustaining minor injuries.
- The accident followed two perceived "too high" approaches; the pilot initiated a go-around after touching down on the second approach, believing he couldn't stop.
- During the go-around attempt, the airplane stalled and crashed approximately a half-mile west of the airport.
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