# Accident 20030404005289A: Cessna 172P, Las Vegas, NV, April 4, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 4, 2003, 07:50 local time
- Place: Las Vegas, NV
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.2931° N, 115.3481° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2931&lon=-115.3481&mi=10
- Aircraft: N553CH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N553CH-2017-06-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172P (registry code 2072436, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 13,800 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX03FA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX03FA124) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030404005289A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON APRIL 4, 2003, ABOUT 0750 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 172P, REGISTERED AS N553CH, WAS DESTROYED DURING A COLLISION WITH TERRAIN 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT (VGT), LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. THE COLLISION AND POST IMPACT GROUND FIRE WAS PRECIPITATED BY AN IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL. THE PILOT (CFI) AND HIS STUDENT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED VGT ABOUT 40 MINUTES PRIOR AND WAS OPERATING IN THE PRACTICE AREA WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THERE WAS NO FLIGHT PLAN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. INVESTIGATORS FROM THE NTSB, FAA, LYCOMING ENGINES AND CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY ARRIVED AT THE SCENE APRIL 4, 2003 TO BEGIN AN INVESTIGATION. THE AIRPLANE HAD IMPACTED THE TERRAIN NOSE DOWN, RIGHT WING LOW, WHILE ROTATING TO THE RIGHT, EVIDENCED BY THE CRUSH LINES AND DAMAGE SIGNATURES OBSERVED. A POST IMPACT GROUND FIRE ENSUED CONSUMING THE COCKPIT AND CABIN STRUCTURES. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS DESTROYED. THE ENGINE SUSTAINED MODERATE THERMAL DAMAGE AND SEVERE IMPACT ENERGY DAMAGE. THE ENGINE EXAMINATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. THE SPARK PLUG AND BORE SCOPE EXAMINATION FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF FOREIGN OBJECT INGESTION OR DETONATION. MECHANICL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED DURING THE CRANKSHAFT ROTATION AND THUMB COMPRESSION CHECK. ONE OF THE PROPELLER BLADES EXHIBITED SOME EVIDENCE OF ROTATIONAL ENERGY ABSORPTION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REMOVED FROM THE SITE AND TRANSPORTED TO THE FACILITIES OF AIR TRANSPORT, PHOENIX, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT IS INSURED BY KERN & WOOLEY, LOS ANGELES, CA. COPIES OF THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOGBOOKS WERE OBTAINED. THERE WERE NO REPORTED WITNESSES TO THE ACTUAL ACCIDENT, ONLY PERSONS WHO REPORTED SEEING THE FIRE AFTER THE ACCIDENT HAD OCCURRED. NEWS MEDIA RELEASES AND WEATHER DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM THE INTERNET. THE NTSB-IIC PLANS NO FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE. THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX03FA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX03FA124), Apr 4, 2003: Cessna 172P (N553CH), North Las Vegas, NV, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: the applicant pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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