ATL04LA195

A witness heard the airplane approaching his home flying towards the south. He looked out his window and observed the red and white airplane in straight and level flight above the tree tops. The airplane was observed to make a steep right turn and disappeared from view. The witness heard a "pop" sound and immediately left his house to investigate. He arrived at the Coosa River and observed the power lines on both sides of the river had been broken. The airplane was recovered with a power line and transformer still attached to the right main landing gear strut fairing. Wire marks were present on the right main landing gear strut fairing inboard of the brake assembly and extended inboard 5 1/2-inches. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no anomalies.

History of flight

On September 29, 2004, at 1417 central daylight time, a Cessna 172L, N4336Q, registered to and operated by Bald Eagle Aviation, Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, collided with power lines and the Coosa River while maneuvering in the vicinity of Gadsden, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial pilot flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The flight originated from Gadsden Municipal Airport, Gadsden, Alabama, on September 29, 2004, at 1300.

A witness stated he heard an airplane approaching his home located next to the Coosa River. He looked out his window and observed the airplane flying about midway between the top of the trees and the river towards Wagnon's Ferry Road Crossing. He figured the pilot knew the area due to the power lines crossing the river at Wagnon's Ferry. The airplane continued past his home and disappeared from view. Another witness heard the airplane approaching his home flying towards the south. He looked out his window and observed the red and white airplane in straight and level flight above the tree tops. The airplane was observed to make a steep right turn estimated at a 45-degree angle of bank and disappeared from view. The witness heard a "pop" sound and immediately left his house to investigate. He arrived at the Coosa River and Wagnon's Ferry Road Crossing. The witness observed the power lines on both sides of the Coosa River had been broken. The airplane was located by the Etowah County Rescue Squad in the Coosa River at Coats bend at 1700.

Personnel information

Review of information on file with the FAA Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a commercial pilot certificate on June 14, 2003, with ratings for airplane single engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. In addition, the pilot held a flight instructor certificate (CFI) with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land, and instrument airplane issued on November 11, 2003. The pilot's last biennial flight review was conducted on November 11, 2003. The CFI held a second class medical issued on April 12, 2004, with the restriction, "Must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision." The pilot reported on his application for the medical certificate that he had accumulated 350 total flight hours. Review of the CFI's log book revealed he had 605.6 total flight hours of which 449.2 hours were in single engine airplanes and 156.4 hours were in multiengine airplanes. The pilot had logged 539.6 hours as pilot-in-command, 233.3 hours as a flight instructor, and 241.7 hours in the Cessna 172.

The student pilot had not completed his pre-solo requirements required by the FAA, and did not have an FAA medical or student pilot certificate. According to the Manger for Bald Eagle Aviation, the student pilot's log book was in the airplane at the time of the accident. The student pilot's log book was not recovered. Review of the CFI's log book revealed the student pilot had flown 10 flights with the CFI for a total of 11.9 hours.

Aircraft information

Review of the airplane logbooks revealed the last annual inspection was conducted on October 21, 2003. The tachometer and airframe time at the annual inspection was 7170.9. The last 100 hour inspection was conducted on July 28, 2004. The tachometer and airframe time at the 100 hour inspection was 7664.1. The engine was overhauled by G and N Aircraft Engines in Griffith, Indiana, on July 28, 2000. The tachometer and airframe time at the crash site was 7747.2. Review of refueling records on file at Bald Eagle Aviation Inc., revealed the airplane had been topped off with 20.3 gallons of 100 low lead fuel before the airplane departed on September 29, 2004. According to the Manager of Bald Eagle Aviation Inc., the dispatch sheet with the tachometer time at departure from Gadsden was in the airplane at the time of the accident. The dispatch sheet was not located and the actual flight time could not be determined.

Meteorological information

The 1440 surface weather observation at Isbell Field, Fort Payne, Alabama was: wind 290-degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, 4,800 scattered, temperature 73 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 29.96.

Wreckage and impact information

The wreckage was located adjacent to Wagnon's Ferry Road Crossing in the Coosa River at Coats Bend, 14.3 miles east of Gadsden Municipal[al Airport, Gadsden, Alabama. Power lines on both sides of the Coosa River were separated and were located in the river attached to the airplane and an electrical power transformer. The wreckage was recovered and transported to Griffin, Georgia, for further examination.

The engine assembly separated from the engine mounts and remained attached to the airframe by the throttle cable. The upper and lower engine cowling was not recovered. The propeller blades remained in the propeller hub attached to the crankshaft propeller flange. One propeller blade was bent aft 30-degrees 12-inches outboard of the propeller hub. Chord wise scarring was present on the camber side and face side of the propeller blade. The remaining propeller blade was bent aft 10-degrees 12 inches aft of the propeller hub. The spinner was fragmented and an 11-inch piece of the spinner remained attached to the spinner flange.

The windshield separated from the airframe and was not recovered. The instrument panel separated at the left and right doorpost. The right forward door post separated from the airframe. Both control yokes separated from their control tubes. The left cabin door remained attached to the airframe and was open. The cabin door latching pin was extended and the door handle was in the locked position. The right cabin door separated from the airframe and was not located. The cabin roof separated from the main spar attachment points and the upper and forward doorposts. The aft center spar section separated from the right rear doorpost. The left and right side windows and the rear window separated from the airframe. The cabin roof was compressed aft to the left and right rear doorpost. The right front seat was not recovered. The right front seat seatbelt and shoulder harness remained attached to their associated attachment locations. The right inboard seat track was cracked through the aft hole 11-inches from the front of the seat track. The right outboard seat track was crushed through the seat track holes 1-inch and 10-inches from the front of the seat track. The left front seat separated from the seat tracks, and the seat back was bent aft. The rear left seat clamps were bent open to the left. The right front seat clamp was intact. The left front seat clamp was broken off to the left. The locking pin was extended .75 inches, and the locking mechanism moved freely. The left inboard seat track was bent and cracked at the center hole of the seat track 10-inches from the front of the seat track. The left outboard seat track was bent and cracked 11-inches from the front of the seat track. The left seat inboard attachment hinge for the lap belt separated from the floor structure. The rear seat remained attached to the cabin floor. The flight control cables were connected at the control column and extended aft through the wing root and tail cone pulleys and were attached to the flight control surfaces.

The right wing was pushed aft and remained attached to the forward wing attachment point. The rear spar was separated aft of the rear wing attachment point. The wing was separated at the flap and aileron junction. The upper wing skin received accordion crushing. The leading edge of the right wing received accordion crushing from the wing root outboard to the right wing strut attachment. The remainder of the leading edge was not recovered. The right main