ATL04FA130

The pilot returned to the airport and reported on the UNICOM radio that he was on downwind for a touch-and-go landing on runway 23. No other communication was received from the pilot. The airplane wreckage was located at 1655 by a landing pilot 0.3 of a mile south southwest of the airport. Examination of the airframe revealed the right wing was separated from its aft spar attachment point. Accordion crushing was present on the right wing 8 feet outboard of the wing root extending outboard to the wing tip. The left wing remained attached to its fore and aft wing spar attachment points. The leading edge of the wing was not damaged. Examination of the flight controls and engine assembly and accessories revealed no anomalies. Review of the Model 172 and Skyhawk Owner's Manual, Figure 5-2, Power Off Stalling Speeds revealed at a gross weight of 2,300 pounds with flaps up the airplane will stall at 57 miles per hour (MPH) with 0-degrees flap.

History of flight

On June 12, 2004, at 1315 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 172F, N8777U, registered to Tellico Air Services Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, collided with the ground in the vicinity of Madisonville, Tennessee, while maneuvering. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight originated from Monroe County Airport, Madisonville, Tennessee, on June 12, 2004, at 1220.

An employee at the Monroe County Airport stated the pilot arrived at the airport at about 1130 and conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane. The pilot informed him that he and his wife were going to fly over their home, take some pictures, and fly around the local area. At 1215, the pilot and his wife boarded the airplane, taxied out to run up area for runway 05 and conducted an engine run up. At 1315, the pilot announced over the UNICOM radio frequency that he was on down wind for a touch and go on runway 23. When the pilot did not return at 1400, the employee drove to the approach end of runway 05 and 23 looking for the airplane with negative results. The employee returned to the office and started calling local area airports looking for the airplane with negative results. At 1600, the employee called the Airport Manager and informed him that he could not locate the airplane and another ramp search was initiated with negative results. At 1655, another pilot requested landing instructions over the UNICOM frequency. The employee asked the arriving pilot to look for the airplane. The pilot called back and stated he observed a Cessna 172 inverted off the departure end of runway 23. The airport employee telephoned the emergency 911 operator and reported the accident.

Personnel information

Review of information on file with the FAA Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on April 2, 2004, with ratings for airplane single engine land. The pilot held a third class medical issued on August 23, 2003, with the restriction "Holder must wear corrective lenses." Review of the pilot's logbook revealed the pilot had accumulated 127.5 hours with 103.9 hours in the Cessna 172. The pilot had flown 15.8 hours in the last 90 days and .3 hours in the last 30 days. The pilot's last biennial flight review was conducted on April 2, 2004. The last entry in the pilot's logbook was on May 6, 2004.

Aircraft information

The last annual inspection was conducted on March 8, 2004, and the tachometer was 851.0. The airplane had flown 48.4 hours since the last inspection. The tachometer time at the crash site was 899.4. The Hobbs time at the crash site was 473.5. Review of refueling records on file at Tellico Air Services, Inc., revealed the airplane was topped off on June 12, 2004, with 9 gallons of automotive fuel.

Meteorological information

The Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1253 surface weather observation was: wind variable at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, 5,000 scattered, 12,000 broken, temperature 90- degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 64 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 30.02.

Wreckage and impact information

The wreckage was located .3 of a mile south southwest of Monroe County Airport, Madisonville, Tennessee, in an open field. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with the ground in a nose down, attitude, on a heading of 160-degrees magnetic. The airplane came to rest inverted on a heading of 230-degrees magnetic. A 30 foot long ground scar was present in front of the engine assembly.

The engine assembly was displaced aft and to the right. The engine assembly separated from all engine mounts. The upper engine cowling remained attached to the airframe. The lower engine cowling separated. The firewall was crushed aft and received upward accordion crushing. The nose gear was bent aft parallel to the bottom of the fuselage and the nose wheel was separated. The propeller assembly remained attached to the crankshaft flange and the composite spinner was fragmented. The propeller blade remained attached to the propeller hub. One propeller blade was bent aft 30-degrees 6-inches outboard of the propeller hub and exhibited "s" bending and chord wise scarring. The remaining propeller blade was bent aft 5-inches inboard of the propeller tip, and chord wise scarring was present on the propeller blade tip. The aft side of both propeller blades were not damaged.

The cockpit area was compressed aft and upward. Both forward and rear doorposts were buckled forward and the cabin roof was buckled downward and compressed aft. The windshield and left and right cabin doors separated from the airframe. Both door latches were in the latched position. The cabin floor and seat tracks were bent upward, downward and distorted. The left and right fronts seats separated from the seat tracks. Both seat frames were buckled to the left and three of each seat frame attachment points on each seat were spread and one attachment point on each seat were broken. The rear bench seat remained attached to the cabin floor structure. The left baggage compartment door remained attached to the airframe and was in the open position. The door latch was in the latched position. The left main landing gear was bent aft 45-degrees and remained attached to the airframe. The right main landing gear remained intact. The left control column was separated from the control "y" assembly and the right control column was in place and would not move. The elevator and rudder cables were continuous from the aft bell cranks up to the aft cabin pulley sector.

The right wing separated from its aft wing spar attachment point. The leading edge of the right wing received accordion crushing starting 8 feet outboard of the wing root extending outboard to the wing tip. The forward edge of the wing tip was separated. The right wing strut remained attached to the wing and fuselage attachment points. The right flap was retracted and remained attached to its attachment points. The right aileron remained attached to the aileron hinges. The right wing aileron bell crank carry through cable separated at the bell crank. The aileron bell crank turnbuckle was intact and safety wired. The right main fuel tank was not ruptured and a vented fuel cap was installed.

The empennage remained attached to the fuselage and was bent downward 45-degrees. The left and right side of the empennage was bent upward and aft 45-degrees. The dorsal fin remained attached to the tail cone and was not damaged. The top 22-inches of the vertical fin was damaged. The rudder assembly remained attached to the hinge assemblies, rudder horn, and rudder cables. The rudder assembly and balance weight were damaged. The left horizontal stabilizer was buckled on the top aft surface. The right horizontal stabilizer bottom surface exhibited a nose wheel tire transfer marks on the access panel. The left and right elevators were not damaged and both balance weights were intact. The rudder and elevator cables were continuous from the flight control surfaces through their bell cranks up to the aft cabin pulley sector.

The left wing remained attached to its fore and aft wing spar attachment points. The leading edge of the left wing was not damaged except for the outboard 25 inches of the wing. The left wing strut remained attached to the wing and fuselage attachment points. The left flap was retracted and remained attached to its attachment points. The left flap contacted the left rear passenger window. The left aileron remained attached to the aileron hinges. The left aileron cables were continuous through the bell crank up to the left wing root area. The left fuel tank was not ruptured and a non-vented fuel cap was installed. The left fuel vent line was connected. The air line to the stall warning horn was not ob