20100924048129A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 172K · Chatsworth, GA · September 24, 2010

Date
September 24, 2010 · 22:49 local
Place
Chatsworth, GA
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N84249
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA10FA502
Reported as
Cessna 172K
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
2
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
0 total0 in this make and model0 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.

On September 24, 2010 at 2355 LCL I was contacted by the roc and patched into murray county 911. I was advised that an accident had occurred at privacy data omitted in Chatsworth ga. Involving N84249 and that there were two fatal and one critical being transported to erlanger hospital in chattanooga TN. I contacted my front line manager and proceeded to the accident scene and arrived at 0127 LCL. I was met by the murray county sheriff privacy data omitted and privacy data omitted. Initial survey of the accident scene resulted in the following observations. The aircraft was facing a magnetic heading of approximately 020 degrees and the nose section was collapsed. The tail/empennage was broken off aft of the baggage compartment. The right wing was separated from the aft spar attachment and forward, the aircraft was resting on the nose and tail attitude of 45 degrees. The left pilot was lying on her back on the ground and feet jammed in the forward rudder pedal area. The seat belt was not locked and was hanging down. The left door was under the broken off nose gear. The left forward seat rear attach points were dislodged from the seat track. The right pilot was observed impacted into the instrument panel on the right still in the restraints and the rear legs of the seat were separated from the seat track. Baggage and clothing material was between the rear seat and the forward seat and the rear seat was broken from the mounts. The rear baggage door was open. A strong acid odor was noted. I accessed the left and right fuel tanks and noted no fuel present in the right tank and slight fuel in the left tank. There was no evidence of fuel tank ruptures or fuel external of the fuel tanks. The left wing was crushed to the spar outboard of the wing strut. The right wing leading edge exhibited crumpling and vertical movement outboard of the strut. According to two witnesses at the scene (privacy data omitted) the aircraft passed overhead with the light on towards a go kart track that was brightly illuminated. As the aircraft passed overhead a sputtering noise was noted then silent with a wind noise. The aircraft then maneuvered in a right turn heading southerly over the property owners home and the right wing grazed tree limbs over the home then descended in a steep angle into a ditch, compressed and slid through a barb wire fence and proceeded 39 feet and contacted another fence and spun around abruptly and the tail broke off in the direction of rotation. According to the witnesses, they arrived at the aircraft to find the passenger hanging out of the rear part of the left entrance door wrapped in barb wire and bleeding profusely. The female pass. Was lying face up on the ground with her feet up under the instrument panel, moaning and breathing heavily. A third witness (privacy data omitted) cut the barb wire and extricated the passenger. During this the female gasped for air and perished. The pilot in the right seat ceased moaning and also perished. The witnesses at the scene confirmed that they did not touch the safety restraints for either pilot. At 0230 the coroner extricated the two deceased individuals and a toxicology box was given to the coroner for each pilot. I was able to locate the pilot licenses, and identifications for both front pilots and the passenger who is also a pilot. The documents were copied and given to the NTSB representative as requested. The registration and airworthiness documents were not on or near the aircraft. The aircraft owner's manual was not located and several expired navigational documents were on the aircraft. A copy of the flight plan was found and copied for documentation. I continued to survey the scene and noted the initial tree contact, ditch impact and scaring of the ground confirming the witness observations. At 0430 I left the scene and proceeded to the hotel in dalton, GA. I returned to the scene at 0800 and continued to photograph and diagram the scene in the presence of law en

As the FAA filed it

ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 AT 2355 LCL I WAS CONTACTED BY THE ROC AND PATCHED INTO MURRAY COUNTY 911. I WAS ADVISED THAT AN ACCIDENT HAD OCCURRED AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IN CHATSWORTH GA. INVOLVING N84249 AND THAT THERE WERE TWO FATAL AND ONE CRITICAL BEING TRANSPORTED TO ERLANGER HOSPITAL IN CHATTANOOGA TN. I CONTACTED MY FRONT LINE MANAGER AND PROCEEDED TO THE ACCIDENT SCENE AND ARRIVED AT 0127 LCL. I WAS MET BY THE MURRAY COUNTY SHERIFF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. INITIAL SURVEY OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FACING A MAGNETIC HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 020 DEGREES AND THE NOSE SECTION WAS COLLAPSED. THE TAIL/EMPENNAGE WAS BROKEN OFF AFT OF THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. THE RIGHT WING WAS SEPARATED FROM THE AFT SPAR ATTACHMENT AND FORWARD, THE AIRCRAFT WAS RESTING ON THE NOSE AND TAIL ATTITUDE OF 45 DEGREES. THE LEFT PILOT WAS LYING ON HER BACK ON THE GROUND AND FEET JAMMED IN THE FORWARD RUDDER PEDAL AREA. THE SEAT BELT WAS NOT LOCKED AND WAS HANGING DOWN. THE LEFT DOOR WAS UNDER THE BROKEN OFF NOSE GEAR. THE LEFT FORWARD SEAT REAR ATTACH POINTS WERE DISLODGED FROM THE SEAT TRACK. THE RIGHT PILOT WAS OBSERVED IMPACTED INTO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON THE RIGHT STILL IN THE RESTRAINTS AND THE REAR LEGS OF THE SEAT WERE SEPARATED FROM THE SEAT TRACK. BAGGAGE AND CLOTHING MATERIAL WAS BETWEEN THE REAR SEAT AND THE FORWARD SEAT AND THE REAR SEAT WAS BROKEN FROM THE MOUNTS. THE REAR BAGGAGE DOOR WAS OPEN. A STRONG ACID ODOR WAS NOTED. I ACCESSED THE LEFT AND RIGHT FUEL TANKS AND NOTED NO FUEL PRESENT IN THE RIGHT TANK AND SLIGHT FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL TANK RUPTURES OR FUEL EXTERNAL OF THE FUEL TANKS. THE LEFT WING WAS CRUSHED TO THE SPAR OUTBOARD OF THE WING STRUT. THE RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE EXHIBITED CRUMPLING AND VERTICAL MOVEMENT OUTBOARD OF THE STRUT. ACCORDING TO TWO WITNESSES AT THE SCENE (^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^) THE AIRCRAFT PASSED OVERHEAD WITH THE LIGHT ON TOWARDS A GO KART TRACK THAT WAS BRIGHTLY ILLUMINATED. AS THE AIRCRAFT PASSED OVERHEAD A SPUTTERING NOISE WAS NOTED THEN SILENT WITH A WIND NOISE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN MANEUVERED IN A RIGHT TURN HEADING SOUTHERLY OVER THE PROPERTY OWNERS HOME AND THE RIGHT WING GRAZED TREE LIMBS OVER THE HOME THEN DESCENDED IN A STEEP ANGLE INTO A DITCH, COMPRESSED AND SLID THROUGH A BARB WIRE FENCE AND PROCEEDED 39 FEET AND CONTACTED ANOTHER FENCE AND SPUN AROUND ABRUPTLY AND THE TAIL BROKE OFF IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION. ACCORDING TO THE WITNESSES, THEY ARRIVED AT THE AIRCRAFT TO FIND THE PASSENGER HANGING OUT OF THE REAR PART OF THE LEFT ENTRANCE DOOR WRAPPED IN BARB WIRE AND BLEEDING PROFUSELY. THE FEMALE PASS. WAS LYING FACE UP ON THE GROUND WITH HER FEET UP UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, MOANING AND BREATHING HEAVILY. A THIRD WITNESS (^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^) CUT THE BARB WIRE AND EXTRICATED THE PASSENGER. DURING THIS THE FEMALE GASPED FOR AIR AND PERISHED. THE PILOT IN THE RIGHT SEAT CEASED MOANING AND ALSO PERISHED. THE WITNESSES AT THE SCENE CONFIRMED THAT THEY DID NOT TOUCH THE SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR EITHER PILOT. AT 0230 THE CORONER EXTRICATED THE TWO DECEASED INDIVIDUALS AND A TOXICOLOGY BOX WAS GIVEN TO THE CORONER FOR EACH PILOT. I WAS ABLE TO LOCATE THE PILOT LICENSES, AND IDENTIFICATIONS FOR BOTH FRONT PILOTS AND THE PASSENGER WHO IS ALSO A PILOT. THE DOCUMENTS WERE COPIED AND GIVEN TO THE NTSB REPRESENTATIVE AS REQUESTED.THE REGISTRATION AND AIRWORTHINESS DOCUMENTS WERE NOT ON OR NEAR THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT OWNER'S MANUAL WAS NOT LOCATED AND SEVERAL EXPIRED NAVIGATIONAL DOCUMENTS WERE ON THE AIRCRAFT. A COPY OF THE FLIGHT PLAN WAS FOUND AND COPIED FOR DOCUMENTATION. I CONTINUED TO SURVEY THE SCENE AND NOTED THE INITIAL TREE CONTACT, DITCH IMPACT AND SCARING OF THE GROUND CONFIRMING THE WITNESS OBSERVATIONS. AT 0430 I LEFT THE SCENE AND PROCEEDED TO THE HOTEL IN DALTON, GA. I RETURNED TO THE SCENE AT 0800 AND CONTINUED TO PHOTOGRAPH AND DIAGRAM THE SCENE IN THE PRESENCE OF LAW EN

NTSB investigation

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