What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On December 29, 2018 at 10:15 am eastern daylight time, a Cessna CE-R172K aircraft, N1095V, registered to a private flying club and operated by a certified flight instructor, was destroyed on impact with a building approximately 1 mile east of the howard nixon memorial airport (50G), Chesaning, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The local flight originated from the owosso community airport (rnp), owosso, Michigan approximately 15 minutes prior to the accident.
Review of photographs received from investigating law enforcement show the right side of the aircraft resting against the side of a heavily damaged cinder block one story building on a heading of 120 degrees magnetic. Initial impact ground scar is approximately 70 feet from the wreckage and shows the flight path of the aircraft to have been approximately 200 degrees magnetic. The propeller was detached from the engine crankshaft at the hub and was located along the ground scar path. The propeller showed extensive scratching and cord wise s bending. The aircraft was highly fragmented with the left wing folded leading edge down and aft against the fuselage from the wing root. The right ring was folded leading edge up and forward of the fuselage at the wing root. The cabin area was breached at a number of locations with the roof crushed rearward exposing the cockpit area. The cabin floor was buckled and highly deformed with both front seats crushed but located in there approximate positions. The pilot?s seat belt and shoulder harness were found intact and latched. The panel and firewall were also highly fragmented with engine and propeller controls found in the full forward position. The engine was broken free of all mounts and located in the forward area of the debris field. The nose gear tire and wheel were located on the opposite side of the building. Responding sheriff?s deputies stated that upon arrival the whole accident scene was covered fuel.
A witness reported seeing the accident aircraft in a wings level attitude but flying very low over town in a southerly direction. Another witness stated she watched the aircraft impact the ground then hit the building. She stated the aircraft was not level at the time of impact but could not remember if it was left or right wing high. She further stated the engine was running at the time of impact with no visible signs of smoke or fire. No other inspection or investigation of the aircraft has been completed at this time.
Weather report at kmbs 291553Z 05005KT 10SM OVC023 M04/M08 A3031.
As of this date, no probable cause for this accident has been found.
As the FAA filed it
ON DECEMBER 29, 2018 AT 10:15 AM EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA CE-R172K AIRCRAFT, N1095V, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE FLYING CLUB AND OPERATED BY A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT WITH A BUILDING APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE EAST OF THE HOWARD NIXON MEMORIAL AIRPORT (50G), CHESANING, MICHIGAN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT, WHO WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT, RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE OWOSSO COMMUNITY AIRPORT (RNP), OWOSSO, MICHIGAN APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
REVIEW OF PHOTOGRAPHS RECEIVED FROM INVESTIGATING LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOW THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT RESTING AGAINST THE SIDE OF A HEAVILY DAMAGED CINDER BLOCK ONE STORY BUILDING ON A HEADING OF 120 DEGREES MAGNETIC. INITIAL IMPACT GROUND SCAR IS APPROXIMATELY 70 FEET FROM THE WRECKAGE AND SHOWS THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRCRAFT TO HAVE BEEN APPROXIMATELY 200 DEGREES MAGNETIC. THE PROPELLER WAS DETACHED FROM THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT AT THE HUB AND WAS LOCATED ALONG THE GROUND SCAR PATH. THE PROPELLER SHOWED EXTENSIVE SCRATCHING AND CORD WISE S BENDING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS HIGHLY FRAGMENTED WITH THE LEFT WING FOLDED LEADING EDGE DOWN AND AFT AGAINST THE FUSELAGE FROM THE WING ROOT. THE RIGHT RING WAS FOLDED LEADING EDGE UP AND FORWARD OF THE FUSELAGE AT THE WING ROOT. THE CABIN AREA WAS BREACHED AT A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS WITH THE ROOF CRUSHED REARWARD EXPOSING THE COCKPIT AREA. THE CABIN FLOOR WAS BUCKLED AND HIGHLY DEFORMED WITH BOTH FRONT SEATS CRUSHED BUT LOCATED IN THERE APPROXIMATE POSITIONS. THE PILOT?S SEAT BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS WERE FOUND INTACT AND LATCHED. THE PANEL AND FIREWALL WERE ALSO HIGHLY FRAGMENTED WITH ENGINE AND PROPELLER CONTROLS FOUND IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION. THE ENGINE WAS BROKEN FREE OF ALL MOUNTS AND LOCATED IN THE FORWARD AREA OF THE DEBRIS FIELD. THE NOSE GEAR TIRE AND WHEEL WERE LOCATED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. RESPONDING SHERIFF?S DEPUTIES STATED THAT UPON ARRIVAL THE WHOLE ACCIDENT SCENE WAS COVERED FUEL.
A WITNESS REPORTED SEEING THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE BUT FLYING VERY LOW OVER TOWN IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION. ANOTHER WITNESS STATED SHE WATCHED THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT THE GROUND THEN HIT THE BUILDING. SHE STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT LEVEL AT THE TIME OF IMPACT BUT COULD NOT REMEMBER IF IT WAS LEFT OR RIGHT WING HIGH. SHE FURTHER STATED THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT THE TIME OF IMPACT WITH NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF SMOKE OR FIRE. NO OTHER INSPECTION OR INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT HAS BEEN COMPLETED AT THIS TIME.
WEATHER REPORT AT KMBS 291553Z 05005KT 10SM OVC023 M04/M08 A3031.
AS OF THIS DATE, NO PROBABLE CAUSE FOR THIS ACCIDENT HAS BEEN 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.