At 15:40 central time, a Cessna 172N struck a power line and crashed five miles north of the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The CFI and student pilot were killed. The two were practicing ground reference maneuvers in a designated practice area when they reported to Wichita controllers they would be operating in the traffic pattern at Maize Airport for a few minutes. No further radio contact was recorded, but about 35 minutes later witnesses heard a low-flying airplane in the vicinity of Wichita International Raceway. One witness reported the airplane was traveling north-northwest at 150 to 200 feet and descending slightly. The witness said the engine speed was high, but sounded normal, and the flaps were up. He lost sight of it behind some trees, but then heard the wire impact, saw the wires bouncing, and discovered the electricity and phone dead.
May 06, Wichita, Kan. / Cessna Skyhawk
At 15:40 central time, a Cessna 172N struck a power line and crashed five miles north of the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The CFI and student pilot were killed. The two were practicing ground reference maneuvers in a designated practice area when they reported to Wichita controllers they would be operating in the traffic pattern at Maize Airport for a few minutes. No further radio contact was recorded, but about 35 minutes later witnesses heard a low-flying airplane in the vicinity of Wichita International Raceway. One witness reported the airplane was traveling north-northwest at 150 to 200 feet and descending slightly. The witness said the engine speed was high, but sounded normal, and t...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 172N, carrying a CFI and a student pilot, crashed five miles north of Wichita Mid-Continent Airport at 15:40 CT after striking a power line, killing both occupants.
- The pilots were practicing ground reference maneuvers and had reported intentions to operate in the Maize Airport traffic pattern approximately 35 minutes before witnesses heard the low-flying aircraft.
- Witnesses observed the plane flying north-northwest at 150-200 feet and slightly descending, with a normal but high-speed engine, immediately before the impact which caused local electricity and phone outages.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
