At about 0822 eastern time, a Cessna 172S crashed near Lutz, killing the pilot. The pilot had crashed his experimental Rotorway 162F helicopter into the roof of a Tampa house at 2130 eastern time the night before, and it was discovered that the helicopter carried the wrong N-number. In the airplane crash, the pilot departed Vandenberg Airport at 0709 and orbited for about 15 minutes at 2,100 feet. The airplane then moved slightly west and orbited a roadway intersection for nearly an hour. Attempts to communicate with the airplane by the Tampa Tower and a Sheriff helicopter on several frequencies were unsuccessful. A witness reported hearing the engine rev up before the airplane pitched down and crashed at an 80-degree nose-low attitude.
June 04, Tampa, Fla. / Cessna 172
At about 0822 eastern time, a Cessna 172S crashed near Lutz, killing the pilot. The pilot had crashed his experimental Rotorway 162F helicopter into the roof of a Tampa house at 2130 eastern time the night before, and it was discovered that the helicopter carried the wrong N-number. In the airplane crash, the pilot departed Vandenberg Airport at 0709 and orbited for about 15 minutes at 2,100 feet. The airplane then moved slightly west and orbited a roadway intersection for nearly an hour. Attempts to communicate with the airplane by the Tampa Tower and a Sheriff helicopter on several frequencies were unsuccessful. A witness reported hearing the engine rev up before the airplane pitched dow...
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot died in a Cessna 172S crash near Lutz after orbiting for an extended period and failing to respond to communication attempts.
- This fatal airplane crash occurred less than 12 hours after the same pilot had crashed an experimental helicopter into the roof of a Tampa house.
- During the fatal Cessna flight, the engine was heard to rev up before the airplane pitched down sharply and crashed.
- The experimental helicopter from the previous night's incident was found to be carrying an incorrect N-number.
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