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20120629011949A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Cessna 172M · Griswold, IA · June 29, 2012

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Date
June 29, 2012 · 20:30 local
Place
Griswold, IA
Airport
Private Farm Strip
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N73182
Reported as
Cessna 172M
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
N73182Registration cancelled Apr 4, 2014 · Cessna 172MS/N 17267309 · Built 1976Airframe modelCessna 172MEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

According to a witness, the pilot and a pilot-rated passenger had been performing touch and go landings and that they intended to make a full stop landing to pick up another passenger and depart for home. The witness stated that there was a slight tail wind (approximately 5 KTS). The witness stated that the pilot landed long and fast on the approximately 960 yard (2900') in length grass strip. The witness stated that the aircraft started to get "squirrely" and the pilot added power and took off again. The witness stated that the pilot didn't have a lot of runway left and climbed aggressively once he became airbourne. The witness stated that the pilot made an aggressive left turn and that the aircraft did not have enough speed for such an aggressive maneuver. The aircraft stalled and crashed. Evidence indicates that the aircraft impacted a soybean field adjacent to the grass strip in a nose low, right wing slightly low attitude, flipped upside down and (according to a county sheriff's deputy and ground scarring) slid 50 feet to where it came to rest. That spot is approximately 150 yards to the west of the grass strip. The witness stated that the engine sounded like it was running normally. Another witness stated that there may have been "some sort of game" going on in the aircraft during the accident flight. The pilot-rated passenger in the aircraft refused to make a statement on the advice of his attorney.

As the FAA filed it

ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE PILOT AND A PILOT-RATED PASSENGER HAD BEEN PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS AND THAT THEY INTENDED TO MAKE A FULL STOP LANDING TO PICK UP ANOTHER PASSENGER AND DEPART FOR HOME. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THERE WAS A SLIGHT TAIL WIND (APPROXIMATELY 5 KTS). THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE PILOT LANDED LONG AND FAST ON THE APPROXIMATELY 960 YARD (2900') IN LENGTH GRASS STRIP. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO GET "SQUIRRELY" AND THE PILOT ADDED POWER AND TOOK OFF AGAIN. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE PILOT DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF RUNWAY LEFT AND CLIMBED AGGRESSIVELY ONCE HE BECAME AIRBOURNE. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE PILOT MADE AN AGGRESSIVE LEFT TURN AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH SPEED FOR SUCH AN AGGRESSIVE MANEUVER. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND CRASHED. EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A SOYBEAN FIELD ADJACENT TO THE GRASS STRIP IN A NOSE LOW, RIGHT WING SLIGHTLY LOW ATTITUDE, FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN AND (ACCORDING TO A COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY AND GROUND SCARRING) SLID 50 FEET TO WHERE IT CAME TO REST. THAT SPOT IS APPROXIMATELY 150 YARDS TO THE WEST OF THE GRASS STRIP. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS RUNNING NORMALLY. ANOTHER WITNESS STATED THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN "SOME SORT OF GAME" GOING ON IN THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE PILOT-RATED PASSENGER IN THE AIRCRAFT REFUSED TO MAKE A STATEMENT ON THE ADVICE OF HIS ATTORNEY.