- Date
- February 12, 2022, 17:57 local (23:57 UTC)
- Place
- Murphysboro, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N737SYCessna 172N
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20220212008889A
- Case key
- 104637
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 clearance from power lines during approach for landing.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings during a solo instructional flight at the time of the accident. She completed 7 landings without incident, and the accident approach was to be the final landing. The pilot reported that the runway was in sight, but she did not see the power lines. The airplane hit the lines and subsequently impacted the ground below the lines. The airframe sustained damage to the fuselage and left wing. According to the pilot, there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane before the accident. The accident occurred about 24 minutes after sunset and about 3 minutes before the end of civil twilight. The runway was equipped with Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) system. An inspection of the system after the accident revealed that it was operating normally at that time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N737SY
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269650
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 8,800.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Southern Illinois Airport Authority
- Registered owner
- Southern Illinois Airport Authority
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 16, 2021 · 83.8 hours before
- Departed
- MDH · Murphysboro, IL
- Destination
- MDH · Murphysboro, IL
- Airport
- MDH · Southern Illinois, runway 36R, 6,506 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 19
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 8, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 76 total · 76 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.39 inHg
- Observed at
- MDH, 0.81 nm away
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 24.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N737SY · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.