20100218028019A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 172RG · Athens Albany, OH · February 18, 2010

Date
February 18, 2010 · 18:47 local
Place
Athens Albany, OH
Airport
Ohio University Snyder Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N9771B
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN10LA126
Reported as
Cessna 172RG
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
3,015 total518 in this make and model27 in the last 90 days

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.

The pilot was travelling VFR from capitol city airport (kcxy) to batavia, Ohio (I69). The pilot was at 10,000 feet and had flight following along his entire route. The aircraft was equipped with weather radar. The pilot stated that between air traffic center and his radar it appeared the weather had moved in and he requested and received an IFR clearance to his destination. During the decent the pilot diverted to Albany/Athens, Ohio (kuni) due to weather at the destination, and upon descending to 6,000 feet light ice began to accumulate. Upon reaching 4,000 feet, ice began to accumulate at a rapid pace. The aircraft broke out of the overcast at 3,000 feet, and the pilot stated he saw runway 25 straight ahead at approximately eight miles. The pilot then cancelled IFR. The aircraft had the gear down and flaps extended 20 degrees at 70 knots airspeed. At approximately 20 feet above the ground, the pilot stated he encountered wind shear and the aircraft went left of the runway centerline. The pilot initiated a go-around with full power, carb heat in, flaps 10 degrees, and tried to establish a positive rate of climb. The pilot stated he made an early left turn and was unable to climb. He leveled the wings and was still unable to climb and then hit a group of trees. Because of the location of the crash site, and the left turn the pilot stated he made, the aircraft was lined up for runway 7. Inspectors from GL07-CMH-FSDO arrived at the scene of the crash in Albany, Ohio at 1000 on 02/19/2010. The aircraft was located in a row of trees northwest of the airport about a quarter of a mile. The position of the aircraft was noted as facing 220 degrees. The direction of entry into the woods was approximately 280 degrees. The weather at the scene was sunshine and above freezing temperatures. Slushy ice build up was still noted on the aircraft windshield, and rime ice on the left wing strut near the wing attach point. The left wing is bent up 90 degrees just outboard of the wing strut attach point. The right wing has severe leading edge damage and the wing strut is separated from the wing. The fuselage is torn and severely damaged at the baggage compartment door. The empennage is creased at a 45 degree angle to the left and the right elevator and horizontal stabilizer are severely damaged. The landing gear is down. The flaps appeared to be up. No flight instrument or engine trouble was noted from the pilot.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WAS TRAVELLING VFR FROM CAPITOL CITY AIRPORT (KCXY) TO BATAVIA, OHIO (I69). THE PILOT WAS AT 10,000 FEET AND HAD FLIGHT FOLLOWING ALONG HIS ENTIRE ROUTE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH WEATHER RADAR. THE PILOT STATED THAT BETWEEN AIR TRAFFIC CENTER AND HIS RADAR IT APPEARED THE WEATHER HAD MOVED IN AND HE REQUESTED AND RECEIVED AN IFR CLEARANCE TO HIS DESTINATION. DURING THE DECENT THE PILOT DIVERTED TO ALBANY/ATHENS, OHIO (KUNI) DUE TO WEATHER AT THE DESTINATION, AND UPON DESCENDING TO 6,000 FEET LIGHT ICE BEGAN TO ACCUMULATE. UPON REACHING 4,000 FEET, ICE BEGAN TO ACCUMULATE AT A RAPID PACE. THE AIRCRAFT BROKE OUT OF THE OVERCAST AT 3,000 FEET, AND THE PILOT STATED HE SAW RUNWAY 25 STRAIGHT AHEAD AT APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MILES. THE PILOT THEN CANCELLED IFR. THE AIRCRAFT HAD THE GEAR DOWN AND FLAPS EXTENDED 20 DEGREES AT 70 KNOTS AIRSPEED. AT APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE PILOT STATED HE ENCOUNTERED WIND SHEAR AND THE AIRCRAFT WENT LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE PILOT INITIATED A GO-AROUND WITH FULL POWER, CARB HEAT IN, FLAPS 10 DEGREES, AND TRIED TO ESTABLISH A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB. THE PILOT STATED HE MADE AN EARLY LEFT TURN AND WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB. HE LEVELED THE WINGS AND WAS STILL UNABLE TO CLIMB AND THEN HIT A GROUP OF TREES. BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THE CRASH SITE, AND THE LEFT TURN THE PILOT STATED HE MADE, THE AIRCRAFT WAS LINED UP FOR RUNWAY 7. INSPECTORS FROM GL07-CMH-FSDO ARRIVED AT THE SCENE OF THE CRASH IN ALBANY, OHIO AT 1000 ON 02/19/2010. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED IN A ROW OF TREES NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILE. THE POSITION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOTED AS FACING 220 DEGREES. THE DIRECTION OF ENTRY INTO THE WOODS WAS APPROXIMATELY 280 DEGREES. THE WEATHER AT THE SCENE WAS SUNSHINE AND ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES. SLUSHY ICE BUILD UP WAS STILL NOTED ON THE AIRCRAFT WINDSHIELD, AND RIME ICE ON THE LEFT WING STRUT NEAR THE WING ATTACH POINT. THE LEFT WING IS BENT UP 90 DEGREES JUST OUTBOARD OF THE WING STRUT ATTACH POINT. THE RIGHT WING HAS SEVERE LEADING EDGE DAMAGE AND THE WING STRUT IS SEPARATED FROM THE WING. THE FUSELAGE IS TORN AND SEVERELY DAMAGED AT THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT DOOR. THE EMPENNAGE IS CREASED AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT ELEVATOR AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ARE SEVERELY DAMAGED. THE LANDING GEAR IS DOWN. THE FLAPS APPEARED TO BE UP. NO FLIGHT INSTRUMENT OR ENGINE TROUBLE WAS NOTED FROM THE PILOT.

NTSB investigation

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