# Accident 20170730012719A: Cessna 172S, Danbury, CT, July 30, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 30, 2017, 10:25 local time
- Place: Danbury, CT
- Airport: Danbury Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.3681° N, 73.4931° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3681&lon=-73.4931&mi=10
- Aircraft: N612DF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N612DF-2017-12-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (registry code 41597, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-360-L2A
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA17LA261](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA261) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170730012719A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

JUL 30, 2017 -  RECEIVED TELECOM FROM THE FAA THE CENTRALIZED REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER (CROC) REGARDING AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT, DAILY REPORT APPLICATION (DRA) INCIDENT NOTIFICATION EVENT ID 320849. AIRCRAFT WAS U.S. REGISTRATION N612DF, MODEL CE-172-S, SERIAL NUMBER 172S10201, WITH 3 SOULS ON BOARD. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN WHEN DEPARTING DANBURY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (DXR), DANBURY, CT., 06810, FROM RUNWAY 26, WHEN VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) WERE IN EFFECT. FAA INVESTIGATOR IN CHARGE (IIC) RESPONDED TO ON-SITE ARRIVAL @ 13:30 HOURS, AND COORDINATED WITH NTSB AND LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS. THE THREE AIRCRAFT OCCUPANTS HAD BEEN TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO DANBURY MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL. THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) WAS LISTED IN CRITICAL CONDITION, RIGHT FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WAS LISTED IN CRITICAL CONDITION, AND REAR SEAT PASSENGER WAS LISTED IN SERIOUS CONDITION. INITIAL EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, IN HEAVY BRIARS AND THICK UNDERGROWTH VEGETATION ON THE HILLSIDE APPROXIMATELY 1,000 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 26. THE LEFT WING WAS PARTIALLY SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE AND EXHIBITED SEVERE LEADING EDGE CRUSH DAMAGE FROM WING ROOT TO WING TIP DUE TO TERRAIN IMPACT. THE OUTBOARD 1/3 OF RIGHT WING WAS BENT UPWARD AND AFT DUE TO TERRAIN IMPACT. THE FUSELAGE WAS BUCKLED ON BOTH SIDES AFT OF THE REAR WINDOW, AND THE LEFT REAR PILLAR WAS CRUSHED AND DISPLACED UPWARD AND AFT. THE EMPENNAGE, VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, RUDDER AND ELEVATORS WERE LARGELY UNDAMAGED. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE AND WERE BROKEN AWAY FROM THE AIRCRAFT FIRE WALL AND MOUNTING STRUCTURE DURING TERRAIN IMPACT, AND HAD BEEN MOVED FORWARD TO ALLOW EMS TEAM TO EXTRACT THE OCCUPANTS. BOTH ENGINE PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT AND EXHIBITED LEADING EDGE GOUGES AND CHORD WISE SCRATCHES DUE TO TERRAIN IMPACT INTO LARGE ROCK BOULDERS EMBEDDED ON THE HILLSIDE. THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS FOUND IN THE (L) LEFT MAGNETO POSITION. SHOULDER STRAP AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED. SEVERAL BRUSH AND SMALL TREE BRANCHES EXHIBITED 45-DEGREE ANGLE CUTS CONSISTENT WITH PROPELLER IMPACT. FUEL SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE LEFT AND RIGHT TANKS AT THEIR LOWEST ACCESSIBLE POSITION CONSIDERING THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE. THE FUEL SAMPLES WERE BLUE IN COLOR AND APPEARED ABSENT OF WATER CONTENT. ENGINE OIL WAS PRESENT ON WRECKAGE, BUT OIL QUANTITY COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO SEVERE ENGINE DAMAGE, BROKEN AND SEVERED OIL QUANTITY TUBE DIP STICK AND LEAKING OIL, AS ENGINE WAS RESTING IN THE FORWARD CANTED POSITION ON TOP OF THE PROPELLER BLADES WHICH WERE IMPACTING THE GROUND.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA17LA261](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA261), Jul 30, 2017: Cessna 172 (N612DF), Danbury, CT, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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