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20170415004449A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 170 · Williston, FL · April 15, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 15, 2017 · 15:23 local
Place
Williston, FL
Airport
Williston Municipal
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N4244V
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA17FA155
Reported as
Cessna 170
Reported engine
Continental C145 series
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
4
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,350 total
N4244VRegistration cancelled Sep 6, 2019 · Cessna 170S/N 18600 · Built 1948Airframe modelCessna 170Engine modelContinental C145 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.

Aircraft N4244V activity on April 15, 2017 from fueling to accident: (times all retrieved from airfield video time stamps) aircraft arrived at X60 and finished taking self-serve fuel at 1452. Aircraft tied down on ramp by pilot at 1455. Tie downs removed, pilot and passengers boarded, and prop starts at 1520. Taxi starts at 1521. Aircraft turns onto runway 5, begins take-off roll, becomes airborne, climbs, and then disappears into the sky background (on un-enhanced camera view) in less than 1 minute starting at 1523. When aircraft fades into background, it appears to be climbing normally and is well past runway mid-point. For reasons unknown at this time, after the aircraft leaves the un-enhanced camera view, and while still on the airfield, it impacts the ground killing the pilot and all three passengers. The crash site was located approximately 525 feet left of the runway 5 centerline and approximately 390 feet short of the end of the runway.

Subsequent to the accident on April 15, 2017, it is reported that many aircraft departed from the same runway. None of those aircraft reported seeing a crashed aircraft or hearing an ELT beacon transmission on 121.5MHZ. There was no fire at the crash site, so there was no smoke rising from near the end of the runway that would have alerted the pilots.

The first person reported to see the crash site was an unidentified pilot who asked the owner of a restaurant on the field about it early in the morning on April 16, 2017. The restaurant owner stated he does not know or can?t remember the pilots name, so the pilot can not be located to interview. The restaurant owner went to see the crash site and took a picture of it from his vehicle on the taxiway at 0815 without checking any closer. Restaurant owner states that he did not think it necessary to call 911 or alert anyone else to the crash because he thought that, since it was on the airfield, everyone would already know.

At approximately 12:30 on April 16, 2017, the airport manager and his wife arrived at the field to launch another aircraft. The operator of that aircraft reported to the airfield manager that he was hearing an ELT beacon on 121.5MHZ. The airfield manager made a quick sweep of the airfield ramp area and then went to the restaurant to see if any pilots were eating who may have knowledge on an ELT transmitting. The restaurant owner then asked the airport manager if he knew about the crashed aircraft at the end of the runway. The airfield manager then drove with his wife to the departure end of runway 5 and saw the crash site. He approached the aircraft close enough to see that there was bodies inside, and then immediately notified Williston 911 at 1308. He then also called the jacksonville TRACON and notified them of the crash once Williston first responders confirmed the fatalities. The airfield manager then called the FAA rocc. He then quarantined his fuel facility and called shell aviation to have it tested.

Note: factors will be determined at a later date

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT N4244V ACTIVITY ON APRIL 15, 2017 FROM FUELING TO ACCIDENT: (TIMES ALL RETRIEVED FROM AIRFIELD VIDEO TIME STAMPS) AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT X60 AND FINISHED TAKING SELF-SERVE FUEL AT 1452. AIRCRAFT TIED DOWN ON RAMP BY PILOT AT 1455. TIE DOWNS REMOVED, PILOT AND PASSENGERS BOARDED, AND PROP STARTS AT 1520. TAXI STARTS AT 1521. AIRCRAFT TURNS ONTO RUNWAY 5, BEGINS TAKE-OFF ROLL, BECOMES AIRBORNE, CLIMBS, AND THEN DISAPPEARS INTO THE SKY BACKGROUND (ON UN-ENHANCED CAMERA VIEW) IN LESS THAN 1 MINUTE STARTING AT 1523. WHEN AIRCRAFT FADES INTO BACKGROUND, IT APPEARS TO BE CLIMBING NORMALLY AND IS WELL PAST RUNWAY MID-POINT. FOR REASONS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME, AFTER THE AIRCRAFT LEAVES THE UN-ENHANCED CAMERA VIEW, AND WHILE STILL ON THE AIRFIELD, IT IMPACTS THE GROUND KILLING THE PILOT AND ALL THREE PASSENGERS. THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 525 FEET LEFT OF THE RUNWAY 5 CENTERLINE AND APPROXIMATELY 390 FEET SHORT OF THE END OF THE RUNWAY.

SUBSEQUENT TO THE ACCIDENT ON APRIL 15, 2017, IT IS REPORTED THAT MANY AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM THE SAME RUNWAY. NONE OF THOSE AIRCRAFT REPORTED SEEING A CRASHED AIRCRAFT OR HEARING AN ELT BEACON TRANSMISSION ON 121.5MHZ. THERE WAS NO FIRE AT THE CRASH SITE, SO THERE WAS NO SMOKE RISING FROM NEAR THE END OF THE RUNWAY THAT WOULD HAVE ALERTED THE PILOTS.

THE FIRST PERSON REPORTED TO SEE THE CRASH SITE WAS AN UNIDENTIFIED PILOT WHO ASKED THE OWNER OF A RESTAURANT ON THE FIELD ABOUT IT EARLY IN THE MORNING ON APRIL 16, 2017. THE RESTAURANT OWNER STATED HE DOES NOT KNOW OR CAN?T REMEMBER THE PILOTS NAME, SO THE PILOT CAN NOT BE LOCATED TO INTERVIEW. THE RESTAURANT OWNER WENT TO SEE THE CRASH SITE AND TOOK A PICTURE OF IT FROM HIS VEHICLE ON THE TAXIWAY AT 0815 WITHOUT CHECKING ANY CLOSER. RESTAURANT OWNER STATES THAT HE DID NOT THINK IT NECESSARY TO CALL 911 OR ALERT ANYONE ELSE TO THE CRASH BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THAT, SINCE IT WAS ON THE AIRFIELD, EVERYONE WOULD ALREADY KNOW.

AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30 ON APRIL 16, 2017, THE AIRPORT MANAGER AND HIS WIFE ARRIVED AT THE FIELD TO LAUNCH ANOTHER AIRCRAFT. THE OPERATOR OF THAT AIRCRAFT REPORTED TO THE AIRFIELD MANAGER THAT HE WAS HEARING AN ELT BEACON ON 121.5MHZ. THE AIRFIELD MANAGER MADE A QUICK SWEEP OF THE AIRFIELD RAMP AREA AND THEN WENT TO THE RESTAURANT TO SEE IF ANY PILOTS WERE EATING WHO MAY HAVE KNOWLEDGE ON AN ELT TRANSMITTING. THE RESTAURANT OWNER THEN ASKED THE AIRPORT MANAGER IF HE KNEW ABOUT THE CRASHED AIRCRAFT AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRFIELD MANAGER THEN DROVE WITH HIS WIFE TO THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 5 AND SAW THE CRASH SITE. HE APPROACHED THE AIRCRAFT CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE THAT THERE WAS BODIES INSIDE, AND THEN IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED WILLISTON 911 AT 1308. HE THEN ALSO CALLED THE JACKSONVILLE TRACON AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE CRASH ONCE WILLISTON FIRST RESPONDERS CONFIRMED THE FATALITIES. THE AIRFIELD MANAGER THEN CALLED THE FAA ROCC. HE THEN QUARANTINED HIS FUEL FACILITY AND CALLED SHELL AVIATION TO HAVE IT TESTED.

NOTE: FACTORS WILL BE DETERMINED AT A LATER DATE

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 ERA17FA155Accident · 4 fatalField investigationFinal reportWilliston, FLThe pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during initial climb in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall/spin.Apr 15, 2017 · Destroyed