- Date
- October 18, 2007, 15:21 local (18:21 UTC)
- Place
- Rangeley, ME
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N92737Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Portland, ME
- FAA report
- 20071018830719A
- Case key
- 66965
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing flare/touchdown. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's diverted attention.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The commercial pilot was landing the float-equipped airplane on a lake, when he said his attention was diverted by two military helicopters operating in close proximity to his intended landing area. He said during his moment of inattention, the airplane rolled left, struck the surface of the water with the left float, and nosed over. During the accident, both wings were damaged, and the right aileron was torn away. The pilot reported that prior to the accident there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The airplane was not examined by the NTSB.
Factual narrative
On October 18, 2007, about 1521 eastern daylight time, a float-equipped Cessna 172M airplane, N92737, sustained substantial damage during a water landing on Rangeley Lake, Rangeley, Maine. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The commercial certificated pilot and sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on October 24, the pilot said he was on short final, making a glassy water landing, when his attention was diverted by two military helicopters operating in close proximity to his intended landing area. He said during his moment of inattention, the airplane rolled left, struck the surface of the water with the left float, and nosed over. He said that during the accident both wings were damaged, and the right aileron was torn away. He noted that prior to the accident there were no mechanical problems with the airplane.
The airplane was not examined by the NTSB. The pilot did not submit a NTSB form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report as requested.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N92737
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261612
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Larry Koob
- Registered owner
- Oquossoc Marine
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Rangeley, ME
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.