Search Results for: Cessna 172

At 1439 Pacific time the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted trees while maneuvering. The commercial pilot and two passengers were killed. Visual conditions prevailed. The left and right wing were found separated from the fuselage and were located within the approximate 200-foot wreckage debris path. All primary flight controls were located at the accident site.

The pilot said when he started his cross-country flight, 2.4 hours had been flown by the airplane since the fuel tanks had been topped off. His first leg was 1.1 hours; he landed and spent approximately 1.5 hours on the ground. He was approximately 1.1 hours into his return flight, turning base for landing, when the engine lost power. He performed a forced landing to a large parking lot and impacted the fence on its perimeter during the landing roll. The airplanes right wing lift strut was bent, and the right wings leading edge was wrinkled and bent. No fuel was found in the airplanes fuel tanks.

The airplane was substantially damaged when it departed the paved runway surface and then struck a ditch. The nose landing was torn from the airplane resulting in damage to the firewall and forward fuselage. The student pilot reported that the accident flight was his first solo flight without an instructor aboard. Immediately prior to the accident flight the student and his instructor had performed a flight which included landing practice.

The pilot was not aware of the length of the runway, and did not walk/survey it prior to the takeoff from the short, wet, soft surface. He used a combination of short- and soft-field takeoff procedures, and after becoming airborne, the “P” factor seemed “unusually strong.” He applied right aileron and rudder in an attempt to maintain directional control, but the right wing then the nose and left wing contacted the ground. The pilot further stated that there was no pre-impact failure or malfunction with the airplane or its systems.

At about 1950 Mountain time the two airplanes collided in flight over the approach end of runway 34 at the McCall Municipal Airport. Both airplanes were destroyed in the collision, uncontrolled descent and post-crash fire. Of the four occupants aboard one airplane, the private pilot and two passengers were killed; the third passenger received serious injuries. The commercial pilot and passenger aboard the other airplane sustained minor injuries. Both airplanes were ending cross-country flights; visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

The airport manager said the airplane began its takeoff on the 2500-foot-long Runway 13 from the displaced threshold, which is 400 feet from the approach end of the runway. The pilot said he rotated at 55 knots and the airplane lifted off the runway but would not climb. Almost immediately, the stall warning horn began to sound and he lowered the nose to gain speed. The airplane then settled back onto the runway. The pilot reduced the power and began applying brakes to abort the takeoff. The airplane overran the end of the runway, went down a hillside, and collided with trees about 600 feet from the runway. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.

The fuel filler caps on the new Cessna Skyhawk 172TD aren’t your garden-variety flip-lid 100LL caps like I’d pried (or twisted) open countless times before. These babies are industrial, overbuilt Teutonic-looking things, placarded in bold letters to make it clear what kind of fuel to use: “Jet-A Only.” They seem emblematic of this new breed […]

The pilot reported that the airplane entered the airport traffic pattern, and he performed a visual approach to Runway 35 with a 90-degree crosswind to the landing direction. He stated that he was “slow” on final and when he touched down using a soft field landing procedure, the airplane was “pushed” off the runway by a wind gust, contacted a snow bank with the left main landing gear tire, and nosed over. Both wings were substantially damaged.

At approximately 1715 Central standard time, the airplane was destroyed upon colliding with terrain. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the single passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. An eyewitness saw the airplane approach from the east heading west. When the airplane was abeam a school, its engine power rapidly reduced and it was observed executing a left turn at an estimated 45-degree bank. The airplane descended as the airplane turned approximately 270 degrees and was flying north approaching the witness from the south. The airplanes wings were level as the airplane continued to descend as it approached the witness.

As the commercial pilot/owner was preparing to taxi, he dropped something on the floor. When he realized he could not reach the object, he moved his seat back so he could reach down to the floor. At that point, he felt motion and realized that he could not reach the brake pedals. Before the pilot could release his seatbelt and turn off the engine, the airplane struck two parked airplanes, resulting in minor damage to his airplane and one of the parked airplanes. However, the other parked airplane sustained substantial damage.