20050521019009A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 172S · Coney Island, NY · May 21, 2005

Date
May 21, 2005 · 13:46 local
Place
Coney Island, NY
Phase of flight
Low Level Operations
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
CZOS
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N778LP
NTSB investigation
NTSBIAD05FA067
Reported as
Cessna 172S
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
4
Pilot’s flight hours
1,502 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) N778LP Cessna 172S s/n 172S8778 FSDO-15 Saturday 21, 2005 privacy data omitted on may 21, 2005, at 1346 local time (1746 UTC), a Cessna 172S, N778LP crashed while maneuvering at the proximity of west 15th street on Coney Island, brooklyn NY. The flight instructor and three passengers were fatally injured. It was determined that the flight departed from the linden airport, linden, new jersey (ldj), at about 1300 local time, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, flight conducted under 14 CFR part 91, a "discovery flight" (defined as an introductory flight for persons interested in becoming pilots), no flight plan filed. The aircraft is operated by air fleet training systems incorporated. The pilot privacy data omitted a commercial pilot was the pilot in command at the time of the accident, he was accompanied by three (3) passengers on the flight, one (1) male and two (2) females. On initial departure from ldj, the flight instructor returned to airport when one of the three (3) female passengers felt ill and needed to disembark. Aircraft landed and was refueled and another passenger, one (1) male boarded the aircraft. The aircraft then departed and continued on its discovery flight towards Coney Island, brooklyn. According to witness reports the aircraft was maneuvering at low altitude along the beachfront. The report stated the airplane as being in a nose down attitude at time of impact, approximately 150 feet south of the boardwalk, first responders were the new york police department and the fire department of new york. The national transportation safety board (NTSB) was on site before the federal aviation administration (FAA). NTSB released the human remains to the medical examiner (me). Part of tail section was sawed off to aid in removing the remains of the occupants. Preliminary investigation revealed substantial damage exhibited upon impact, all the major components of the aircraft were accounted for at the crash site. The impact and debris field was very concentrated and there was no post impact fire damage. Ntsb/faa conducted on site preliminary investigation; aircraft was removed from the crash site and relocated to floyd bennett field brooklyn NY, for further investigation by the NTSB for probable cause.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) N778LP CESSNA 172S S/N 172S8778 FSDO-15 SATURDAY 21, 2005 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON MAY 21, 2005, AT 1346 LOCAL TIME (1746 UTC), A CESSNA 172S, N778LP CRASHED WHILE MANEUVERING AT THE PROXIMITY OF WEST 15TH STREET ON CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN NY. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FROM THE LINDEN AIRPORT, LINDEN, NEW JERSEY (LDJ), AT ABOUT 1300 LOCAL TIME, VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, A "DISCOVERY FLIGHT" (DEFINED AS AN INTRODUCTORY FLIGHT FOR PERSONS INTERESTED IN BECOMING PILOTS), NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. THE AIRCRAFT IS OPERATED BY AIR FLEET TRAINING SYSTEMS INCORPORATED. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ A COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THREE (3) PASSENGERS ON THE FLIGHT, ONE (1) MALE AND TWO (2) FEMALES. ON INITIAL DEPARTURE FROM LDJ, THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RETURNED TO AIRPORT WHEN ONE OF THE THREE (3) FEMALE PASSENGERS FELT ILL AND NEEDED TO DISEMBARK. AIRCRAFT LANDED AND WAS REFUELED AND ANOTHER PASSENGER, ONE (1) MALE BOARDED THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DEPARTED AND CONTINUED ON ITS DISCOVERY FLIGHT TOWARDS CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN. ACCORDING TO WITNESS REPORTS THE AIRCRAFT WAS MANEUVERING AT LOW ALTITUDE ALONG THE BEACHFRONT. THE REPORT STATED THE AIRPLANE AS BEING IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AT TIME OF IMPACT, APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET SOUTH OF THE BOARDWALK, FIRST RESPONDERS WERE THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK. THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) WAS ON SITE BEFORE THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA). NTSB RELEASED THE HUMAN REMAINS TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER (ME). PART OF TAIL SECTION WAS SAWED OFF TO AID IN REMOVING THE REMAINS OF THE OCCUPANTS. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION REVEALED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE EXHIBITED UPON IMPACT, ALL THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE CRASH SITE. THE IMPACT AND DEBRIS FIELD WAS VERY CONCENTRATED AND THERE WAS NO POST IMPACT FIRE DAMAGE. NTSB/FAA CONDUCTED ON SITE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION; AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE CRASH SITE AND RELOCATED TO FLOYD BENNETT FIELD BROOKLYN NY, FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY THE NTSB FOR PROBABLE CAUSE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.