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20150606011229A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 172H · Cottonwood Fall, KS · June 6, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 6, 2015 · 11:00 local
Place
Cottonwood Fall, KS
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N2536L
NTSB investigation
NTSBGAA15CA136
Reported as
Cessna 172H
Reported engine
Continental 0-300 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
561 total497 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days
N2536LRegistered now · Cessna 172HS/N 17255736 · Built 1966Airframe modelCessna 172HEngine modelContinental 0-300 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.

The pilot attempted to takeoff from a 2300 turf strip. The runway was wet from previous rains and the aircraft's take off acceleration was slowed, due to an area of standing water, prior to rotation.

The aircraft, with one passenger aboard, lifted off at the departure end of the field, prior to a 4 foot wire fence. The aircraft climbed, reaching an altitude adequate to clear the obstruction, but lost airspeed in the climb and was unable to sustain flight. The aircraft descended and touched down in a pasture. The estimated flight distance was between 100 and 300 feet. The ground roll, after the flight, was approximately 640 feet. The aircraft stopped when the nose wheel became embedded in mud.

During the ground roll in the pasture the right wing impacted the ground and caused damage to approximately 3 feet of the outboard end of the wing. The wing damage, which included the spar, categorized the event as an accident. One of the aircraft propeller blades was bent aft as a result of striking the ground at low speed. No other damage was found.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TAKEOFF FROM A 2300 TURF STRIP. THE RUNWAY WAS WET FROM PREVIOUS RAINS AND THE AIRCRAFT'S TAKE OFF ACCELERATION WAS SLOWED, DUE TO AN AREA OF STANDING WATER, PRIOR TO ROTATION.

THE AIRCRAFT, WITH ONE PASSENGER ABOARD, LIFTED OFF AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE FIELD, PRIOR TO A 4 FOOT WIRE FENCE. THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED, REACHING AN ALTITUDE ADEQUATE TO CLEAR THE OBSTRUCTION, BUT LOST AIRSPEED IN THE CLIMB AND WAS UNABLE TO SUSTAIN FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED AND TOUCHED DOWN IN A PASTURE. THE ESTIMATED FLIGHT DISTANCE WAS BETWEEN 100 AND 300 FEET. THE GROUND ROLL, AFTER THE FLIGHT, WAS APPROXIMATELY 640 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED WHEN THE NOSE WHEEL BECAME EMBEDDED IN MUD.

DURING THE GROUND ROLL IN THE PASTURE THE RIGHT WING IMPACTED THE GROUND AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET OF THE OUTBOARD END OF THE WING. THE WING DAMAGE, WHICH INCLUDED THE SPAR, CATEGORIZED THE EVENT AS AN ACCIDENT. ONE OF THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER BLADES WAS BENT AFT AS A RESULT OF STRIKING THE GROUND AT LOW SPEED. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS FOUND.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB GAA15CA136Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportCottonwood Falls, KSThe pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed to climb the airplane out of ground effect, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a collision with terrain.Jun 6, 2015 · Substantial damage