Preliminary Reports

The CFI and his private pilot student were initiating the stalls about 3000 feet agl and recovering by 1500 feet. During the third stall, the student pilot initiated recovery, and the airplane was descending straight ahead at about 1500 feet agl. The CFI took control of the airplane between 800 and 1000 feet, and determined the airplane was in a straight-ahead stall.

A flight instructor with four total hours as a CFI was training a student pilot. The student made three touch and go landings, during which the CFI later stated the student did not maintain airspeed, resulting in a high sink rate. He instructed the student to conduct a short-field approach with an obstacle. The airplane descended to 25 feet over the runway when its airspeed decayed and it descended sharply.

Witnesses reported the pilot had taken four friends attending an outdoor working party on a local flight. The airplane made two to three passes over the work party. On the final pass, witnesses reported the airplane was between 100 and 300 feet agl. The airplane made a sudden steep climbing left turn, appeared to decelerate at the top of the climbing turn, then dropped towards the ground nose-first, impacting a field. The engines could be heard “running perfectly” throughout the maneuver.

The airplane, operated under FAR Part 121 as Southwest Airlines Flight 519, sustained minor damage and experienced a fire in the area of the right landing gear when three of the four main landing gear tires blew out during touchdown at 1946 Central time. The two flight crew, three cabin crew and 48 passengers evacuated on the runway, with two adult passengers suffering minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

At 1142 Central time, the airplane crashed into trees and terrain, killing the pilot and one passenger; two other passengers received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed; the airplane was substantially damaged. According to the passengers, they were flying at about 7000 feet when the pilot told them he was having engine problems. The pilot restarted the engine, but it stopped again after about 30 seconds. Soon, the airplane began hitting trees and came to a stop.

After completing the touch-and-go landing, the pilot climbed the airplane to 1500 feet and flew east. While in level flight, he applied full carburetor heat and all engine power was lost and, after completing the emergency checklist, the pilot was unable to restart the engine. The pilot selected a lake as a forced landing site and did not lower the airplanes landing gear, but selected full flaps. He ditched the airplane about 100 feet from the shoreline. While the airplane was still floating, he exited the airplane and boarded a small pontoon boat just before the airplane sank.

The airplane experienced a collapse of the right main landing gear at about 1548 Eastern time while landing. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the solo student pilot was not injured. Earlier, a flight instructor signed him off for solo flight, and exited the airplane.

A witness flying in the immediate area reported noticing the 172N at his 10-to-11 oclock position. The airplane appeared to be performing maneuvers and making turns in a counterclockwise direction, followed by a turn in a clockwise direction. The witness altered his course slightly to the right and monitored the Cessnas location. As he looked to his right while turning, he noticed another airplane enter the area from the west, traveling at a high rate of speed on an easterly heading. Due to the sun being almost on the horizon, he was unable to identify the aircraft type, seeing only a “black object.” Shortly afterward, the witness observed the airplanes collide. The witness reported the collision to ATC and circled the area until first responders arrived.

Witnesses reported the airplane approached from the southwest, and crossed at midfield to enter the downwind leg for landing on Runway 21. The airplane made a right 270-degree turn, followed by a sharp left turn, and descended out of sight. Witnesses then reported seeing a fireball erupt in the area of the accident. Weather in the area was reported to be high winds out of the southwest at 25 mph, with gusts up to 38 mph.

The airplane was substantially damaged following a partial loss of engine power and collision with terrain at 0846 Eastern time during a forced landing shortly after takeoff. The private pilot was seriously injured, and the pilot-rated passenger was killed. Visual conditions prevailed. About one minute after takeoff, the pilot reported “an engine failure” and announced his intention to return for landing. Witnesses reported the engine noise from the accident airplane as “surging;” one witness described a “radical” turn back to the airport. Two witnesses stated only one engine was running. They added that the engine was “revving,” and would then “conk out” before revving up again. As the engine surged, the airplane would “shuffle left and right.”