20030830037649A

(-23) INSPECTOR STATEMENT: ON 08/30/2003 AT 1:50PM LOCAL TIME, I WAS DISPATCHED TO OCALA, FLORIDA FOR THE ACCIDENT OF A CESSNA CE-152 (N93193). THE INITIAL REPORT FROM THE FAA SOUTHERN REGION COMM CENTER WAS MADE WITH MYSELF AND MR. AL YURMAN FROM THE NTSB MIAMI OFFICE. THE INITIAL INFORMATION FROM THE ACCIDENT WAS THAT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT WAS 1720Z (1:20PM LOCAL TIME). THE AIRCRAFT HAD CRASHED ON DEPARTURE FROM THE OCALA FLORIDA (KOCF) AIRPORT. THE PILOT IN COMMAND OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS A STUDENT PILOT ON A SOLO FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND WAS LOCATED WITHIN THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES, AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE RESCUE WERE ON THE SCENE. AFTER DISCUSSING THE SITUATION WITH MR. YURMAN FROM THE NTSB, IT WAS DECIDED THAT I WOULD DEPART FOR THE ACCIDENT SCENE AND CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION AND CALL MR. YURMAN WITH AN UPDATE OF THE SITUATION. I ARRIVED AT THE OCALA AIRPORT (KOCF) AT 3:15PM LOCAL TIME. MY INITIAL LOOK AT THE ACCIDENT SITE DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS SITTING ON ECHO 3 TAXIWAY BETWEEN THE FIXED BASE OPERATIONS (FBO) RAMP AREA AND THE ECHO TAXIWY. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE RESCUE NOTIFIED ME THAT THEYHAD SHUT OFF THE FUEL SELECTOR BECAUSE FUEL HAD BEEN LEAKING FROM THE NOSE AREA. UPON INITIAL LOOK AT THE AIRCRAFT THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF FUEL UNDER THE NOSE STRETCHING BACK UNDER THE FUSELAGE EXTENDING BOTH TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE ENTRY DOORS. BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT WAS SITTING DOWN ON ITS LEFT WING TIP AND NOSE, FUEL WAS STILL LEAKING FROM THE LEFT WING FUEL VENT SYSTEM. I HAD FIRE RESCUE SPREAD SOME QUICK ABSORBENT MATERIAL TO TAKE CARE OF THE FUEL SITUATION. FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT WAS BENT BACK AND UPWARD, THE NOSE WHEEL AND STRUT HAD BEEN TORN FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 50-60 FEET BEHIND THE AIRCRAFT, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS RESTING ON THE GROUND ON THE NOSE AND LEFT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE LEFT DOOR OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPEN WHILE THE RIGHT SIDE DOOR WAS CLOSED AND LOCKED. THE COCKPIT WAS INITIALLY EVALUATED FOR CONTROL POSITIONS AND INSTRUMENT INDICATIONS. ALL SWITCHES WERE IN THE OFF POSITION AS IF THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN NORMALLY SHUTDOWN. THE ROTATING BEACON/ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT SWITCH WAS IN THE ON POSITION. THE KEY AND MAGNETO SWITCH WAS IN THE OFF POSITION AND THE KEY HAD BEEN REMOVED. THE MASTER SWITCH WAS IN THE OFF POSITION AND THE THROTTLE WAS IN THE IDLE POSITION. THE MIXTURE CONTROL WAS IN THE FULL RICH POSITION. AN INITIAL EVALUATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES INDICATED NO MALFUNCTIONS AND THE CONTROL YOKE APPEARED TO OPERATE SMOOTHLY AND MOVED THE AILERONS AND ELEVATOR IN THE PROPER DIRECTIONS. THE RUDDER AND RUDDER PEDALS WERE FOUND IN THERE NEUTRAL CENTERED POSITION AND APPEARED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. IT WAS DETERMINED FROM INITIAL STATEMENTS FROM LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, AIRPORT OPERATIONS MANAGER, WITNESS STATEMENT, AND VISUAL INSPECTION THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD ROLLED DOWN THE RUNWAY ON ITS TAKEOFF RUN FOR APPROXIMATELY 1900 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 18 BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAVEMENT. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED IN STRAIGHT LINE HEADING TOWARDS A DRAINAGE DITCH AND RETENTION WALL. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE RETAINING WALL WITH ITS LEFT MAIN AND NOSE GEAR. THIS IMPACT TURNED THE AIRCRAFT AND BENT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR INTO THE POSITION FOUND WHILE TEARING THE NOSE GEAR STRUT AND TIRE FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE SECTION AND FUSELAGE CONTACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 100-200 FEET FROM THE RETENTION WALL AND CONTINUED TO SLIDE THROUGH THE GRASS FOR AND ADDITIONAL APPROXIMATELY 200-300 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST JUST ON THE EDGE OF THE PAVEMENT AND THE GRASS OF TAXIWAY ECHO 3. AN INTERVIEW WITH MS. DOROTHY S. MURRAY, THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (STUDENT PILOT #FF2247522), SHE HAD STATED THAT SHE WAS ON A SOLO CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. MS. MURRAY HAD DEPARTED SANFORD AIRPORT (KSFB) AT AROUND 10:45 LOCAL TIME, OVER FLEW LEESBURG AIRPORT (KLEE), OCAL AIRPORT (KOCF) AND HAD MADE HER FIRST LANDING OF THE DAY AT GAINESVILLE AIRPORT (KGNV). AFTER DEPARTING GAINESVILLE AIRPORT (KGNV) SHE FLEW TO OCALA AIRPORT (KOCF) AND LANDED TO STOP AND HAVE LUNCH BEFORE RETURNING TO HER HOME BASE. HER PREPARATION FOR DEPARTURE FROM OCALA AIRPORT (KOCF) CONSISTED OF WEATHER BRIEFING FROM FAA FLIGHT SERVICE BY CALLING 1-800-WX-BRIEF, A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND A FULL AIRCRAFT RUN-UP INSPECTION. MS. MURRAY STATED THAT SHE STARTED HER TAKEOFF ROLL ON RUNWAY 18 AND ALL SEEMED TO BE NORMAL. SHE HAD FULL POWER AND ALL ENGINE INSTRUMENTS WERE IN THE GREEN. MS. MURRAY STATED THAT SHE WAS ROLLING DOWN THE RUNWAY STRAIGHT AND THEN AT APPROXIMATELY 50 KTS SHE WAS GOING TO ROTATE THE AIRCRAFT FOR TAKEOFF, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO VEER OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. WHEN ASKED IF SHE HAD ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT, OR HAD APPLIED ANY OTHER FLIGHT CONTROL CORRECTIONS, SHE WAS UNSURE AND STATED THAT SHE HAD FROZE UP AND WAS NOT REALLY SURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. MR. MURRAY THEN STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ACROSS THE GRASS TOWARDS THE DRAINAGE DITCH AND STRUCK THE RETAINING WALL AND SLID TO A STOP. WHEN ASKED WHAT IF ANY CORRECTIONS OR ACTIONS, LIKE BRING THE THROTTLE TO IDLE ETC., DID SHE ATTEMPT, MS. MURRAY WAS UNSURE IF SHE DID ANYTHING, BUT STATED THAT SHE KNEW SHE HAD FULL POWER AND HAD NOT BROUGHT IT TO IDLE AND THAT SHE JUST FROZE UP. AFTER THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST MS. MURRAY STATED THAT SHE HAD SHUT OFF ALL OF THE SWITCHES AND EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE LEFT SIDE DOOR. WHEN ASKED IF SHE TURNED OFF THE FUEL SELECTOR OR PULLED THE MIXTURE TO CUTOFF AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT CONTROLS SHE HAD ACTUATED, SHE WAS UNSURE. THIS INITIAL INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 2 HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND MS. MURRAY WAS STILL QUITE UPSET AND EMOTIONAL. I HAD AN ADDITIONAL INTERVIEW WITH MS. MURRAY ON 09/02/2003 WHICH DID NOT REVEAL ANY ADDITIONAL FACTS OR INFORMATION FROM HER. I HAD ALSO HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THE CHIEF INSTRUCTOR/OWNER OF THE FLIGHT SCHOOL MR. VICTOR E. JOHNSON. MR. JOHNSON HAD BEEN AT THE ACCIDENT SITE TO PICK UP MS. MURRAY AND RETURN HER TO THEIR HOME BASE. MR. JOHNSON MENTIONED THAT HE HAD MADE MS. MURRAY FLY THE AIRCRAFT ON THEIR RETURN FLIGHT TO HOME BASE, AND NOTED THAT HE CONTINUED TO NOTICE MS. MURRAY RIDING THE BRAKES AND PLACING HER FEET HIGH ON THE RUDDER PEDDLES. ON 09/23/2003 I WAS ABLE TO INTERVIEW MR. JEFFREY P. CHRIST (MS. MURRAY'S FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR) ABOUT THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE. IN A REVIEW OF MS. MURRAY'S TRAINING IT WAS NOTED THAT SHE HAD BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH RIDING THE BRAKES AND PLACEMENT OF HER FEET ON THE RUDDER PEDDLES ON NUMEROUS PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. MR. CHRIST HAD WORKED WITH HER ON THIS AND HAD THOUGHT HE HAD CORRECTED THE SITUATION. NO OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION WAS NOTED FROM THIS INTERVIEW. IN REVIEW OF THE ACCIDENT, AND THROUGH THE COMMENTS AND STATEMENTS OF MS. MURRAY, THE CHIEF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND OWNER/OPERATOR OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND MS. MURRAY'S FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, IT IS THIS INSPECTORS OPINION THAT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^