# Accident 20190710009739A: Cessna 172S, Vineyard Haven, MA, July 10, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 10, 2019, 22:30 local time
- Place: Vineyard Haven, MA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.3933° N, 70.6139° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3933&lon=-70.6139&mi=10
- Aircraft: N677DM, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N677DM) (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: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 600 total, 550 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA19CA401](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA401) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190710009739A

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE WAS CONDUCTING A FLIGHT FROM ESSEX COUNTY AIRPORT (CDW) TO MVY WITH ONE PASSENGER.  THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEF BEFORE DEPARTING CDW, AND NOTED THE WEATHER WOULD BE MARGINAL FOR VISUAL FLYING (MARGINAL VFR).  WHILE EN ROUTE TO MVY, THE PILOT LEARNED THAT THE WEATHER HAD GONE FROM VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) TO INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR).  THE PILOT DIVERTED TO GROTON-NEW LONDON AIRPORT (GON) TO LOOK AT THE WEATHER AND FILE AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN.

THE PILOT PICKED UP HER IFR FLIGHT PLAN AT GON, AND CONTINUED FLYING TO MVY.  THE PILOT STATED THAT ON DEPARTURE, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) CLEARED THE PILOT DIRECT TO MVY.  THE PILOT TUNED IN THE MVY VERY HIGH FREQUENCY OMNI-DIRECTIONAL RANGE (VOR) TO NAV 1.  THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE BELIEVED THE NAV 1 VOR INSTRUMENTATION WAS WORKING INCORRECTLY WHEN BACKING HER DATA UP TO FOREFLIGHT ON HER IPAD.  THE PILOT SWITCHED TO NAV 2, AND VERIFIED THAT A VOR CHECK WAS DONE FOR THE AIRCRAFT.  THE PILOT STATED THAT THE VOR CHECK WAS COMPLETED APPROXIMATELY 10 DAYS AGO, AND NOTED THAT BOTH NAV 1 AND 2 WERE WORKING CORRECTLY.  THE PILOT STATED AS SHE GOT CLOSE TO MVY, ATC BEGAN TO VECTOR THE AIRCRAFT FOR THE ILS RUNWAY 24 AT MVY.

AS ATC VECTORED THE AIRCRAFT TOWARD FINAL APPROACH, THE PILOT STATED SHE SAW A WHITE LIGHT ON THE GROUND, WHICH SHE THOUGH WAS THE AIRPORT.  THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE STILL FLEW THE ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24.  THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE WAS IN VMC CONDITIONS UNTIL THE LAST 200-300 FEET OF THE FLIGHT, WHERE SHE ENCOUNTERED FOG.  THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE REMEMBERS LOOKING AT THE CDI NEEDLE ON THE ILS AND NOTED FULL RIGHT DEFLECTION.  THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE TRIED TO CORRECT THE AIRCRAFT AND THEN SAW FULL LEFT DEFLECTION ON THE CDI AND WAS AT MINIMUM DECISION ALTITUDE (MDA).  THE PILOT STATED SHE THEN HEARD A LOUD BANG AND DECIDED TO GO MISSED.

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CONDUCT THE MISSED APPROACH, THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WANTED TO ROLL AND YAW TO THE LEFT.  THE PILOT KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY WITH ATC.  ATC VECTORED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE CLOSEST VFR AIRPORT, WHICH WAS CAPE COD COAST GUARD AIR STATION.  THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

## 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 GAA19CA401](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA401), Jul 11, 2019: Cessna 172 (N677DM), Vineyard Haven, MA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain lateral position in relation to the instrument approach course at night in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in collision with a tree.

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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