CHI01FA130

The airplane was observed flying low in the vicinity of the Wichita International Raceway, Wichita, Kansas. One witness reported hearing two blasts like a shotgun. The witness said he and his friends drove over to where they thought the sound had come from. They found the airplane lying on the guard rail of the racetrack totally on fire. Another witness working in his yard just north of the racetrack said he heard the sound of a small airplane, stopped what he was doing and searched to gain sight of the airplane. He said that he had a clear view of the airplane. It was traveling north-northwest at an altitude of 150 to 200 feet and descending slightly. The witness said the engine speed was very high, but sounded normal, and the flaps were up. The witness watched the airplane until he lost sight of it behind some trees. "About the time I lost visual contact … I heard the metallic sound and noticed that all the power wires (east and west) were bouncing." The witness said he ran into the house to call 9-1-1, but the phones were dead and there was no power to the house. An examination of the accident site revealed damage to a tower support cable pole atop a 110-foot tall power line support tower. The north side 3/4-inch diameter support cable was observed draped through trees northeast of the tower and ran north-northeast to the airplane main wreckage. The cable ran through the airplane's empennage and on to the racetrack. One broken end of the cable was on the racetrack south of the airplane. The top 8 inches of the airplane's vertical stabilizer and rudder was located 15 feet east of the racetrack beneath the power lines. A 3/4-inch diameter c-shaped indention ran horizontally along the right side of the piece. An examination of the remainder of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The airplane's owner said that flight instructors were using the racetrack as a practice strip to set up and practice emergency landings.

History of flight

On May 6, 2001, at 1540 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N733RK, operated by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it struck a power line and then impacted on to a drag-racing track, 5 miles north of the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas. A post crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The instructor pilot and dual student on board the airplane were fatally injured. The local flight departed Colonel James Jabara Airport (3KM), Wichita, Kansas, approximately 1405.

At 1408:42, N733RK contacted the ICT Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and said they were west-northwest bound out of the Jabara Airport at 2,500 feet msl, and that they would like to go out to Chaney (a state park west of Wichita) by the west practice area. The east radar position local controller (LC) cleared N733RK as requested and instructed them to maintain 3,000 feet msl.

At 1410:56, the east radar position LC told N733RK to contact approach control on radio frequency 126.7 megahertz. N733RK acknowledged and checked in on the new frequency.

Between 1411 and 1454, ICT ATCT made several radio calls to N733RK advising them of other aircraft traffic in their area.

At approximately 1425:46, ICT radar showed N733RK begin to maneuver in the practice area.

At 1440:35, N733RK responded to an ICT ATCT traffic advisory with, "We're practicing some ... simulated engine failures out here ..."

At 1454:57, N733RK informed ICT ATCT that they would be doing some ground reference maneuvers. The west radar position LC told them to "squawk VFR" (switch their transponder code to 1200) and informed them that radar service was terminated.

At 1516:16, N733RK informed ICT ATCT that they were getting ready to cross Kansas Highway 96 and they would be operating in the traffic pattern at Maize Airport for a few minutes. N733RK advised ICT ATCT that they would remain VFR at or below 2,500 feet msl.

At 1516:47, ICT radar showed N733RK depart the practice area and fly west southwest to the Maize Airport (70K).

At 1524:16, N733 ICT radar showed N733RK in the traffic pattern at 70K.

At 2036, ICT radar showed N733RK depart 70K to the south. The airplane made a left turn toward the north and climbed to 1900 feet. ICT radar showed the airplane begin a left turn toward the Wichita International Raceway at 1538:33. The airplane's last radar position was recorded at 1538:56. The airplane was approximately 1/2 mile south-southeast of the raceway and heading north-northeast toward the raceway.

Several witnesses saw the airplane flying low in the vicinity of the Wichita International Raceway. At 1540, one witness reported hearing two blasts like a shotgun. The witness said he and his friends drove over to where they thought the sound had come from. They found the airplane lying on the guard rail of the racetrack totally on fire.

A second witness working in his yard just north of the racetrack said he heard the sound of a small airplane, stopped what he was doing and searched to gain sight of the airplane. He said that he had a clear view of the airplane. It was traveling north-northwest at an altitude of 150 to 200 feet and descending slightly. The witness said the engine speed was very high, but sounded normal, and the flaps were up. The witness watched the airplane until he lost sight of it behind some trees. "About the time I lost visual contact … I heard the metallic sound and noticed that all the power wires (east and west) were bouncing." The witness said he ran into the house to call 9-1-1, but the phones were dead and there was no power to the house.

Personnel information

The instructor pilot had a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine and multi-engine land, instrument airplanes. The flight instructor's certificate had ratings for instruction in single-engine land, instrument airplanes. The pilot passed his practical test for his instrument instructor rating on February 11, 2001.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aeromedical records, the pilot reported having 1,400 total flight hours on March 13, 2001. The pilot also reported having flown 300 hours in the 6 months prior to the medical examination.

The instructor pilot held a class 2 medical certificate dated March 13, 2001, with limitations, "Holder shall wear corrective lenses".

The dual student held a third class medical certificate that also served as his student pilot certificate. It was dated September 1, 2000, and listed no restrictions.

According to his logbook, the dual student had approximately 85 total flying hours, all of it in single-engine airplanes. Within the 30 days prior to the accident, the dual pilot completed a solo cross-country flight of 2.6 hours duration on April 17, 2001.

The owner and operator of the flight school stated that dual student was 1 or 2 flights away from taking his practical test for his private pilot certificate.

Aircraft information

The airplane was owned by Myrtle Aviation, Incorporated, and operated by Sabris Corporation, both at Wichita, Kansas. The airplane was used for flight instruction and as a rental airplane.

According to the airplane's airframe logbook, the airplane underwent a 100-hour inspection on March 22, 2001. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had an airframe time of 8,953 hours. The last entry in the airframe logbook was on April 19, 2001. The airframe time recorded was 8,998.9 hours.

Wreckage and impact information

The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) on scene investigation began on May 7, 2001, at 1215.

The airplane's main wreckage was located approximately 1,975 feet from the south end of a north-south running drag racing strip at the Wichita international Raceway, 6100 Ridge Road. A set of power lines running west-northwest to east-southeast crossed over the drag strip approximately 1320 feet down from the south end of the drag strip. A 110-foot tall power line support tower was located 192 feet west of the drag strip. The top 15 feet of the northernmost pole that held the tower support cable was broken at the top of the cross beam and leaning approximately 30 degrees toward the northeast. The top horizontal support beam between the two tower poles was split horizontally and broken downward. The north 3/4-inch diameter support cable was draped in several trees northeast of the tower. The cable ran northeast, then north, lying across a north-south running power line and up to the airplane main wreckage. The cable was observed running through the airplane's left horizontal stabilizer and elevator and then onto the track. One end of the broken cable was located on the drag strip south of the airplane's main wreckage. The end was unraveled. Each of the seven cable strands showed necking and cup-cone separation. The other end of the cable was found coiled in a soybean field approximately 900 feet southeast of the accident site. The cable end was also unraveled and each strand showed necking and cup-cone separation.

The top 8 inches of the airplane's vertical stabilizer and rudder were located 15 feet east of the track beneath the power lines and approximately 1300 feet north of the south end of the drag strip. The top of the stabilizer and rudder were broken aft longitudinally. A 3/4-inch diameter c-shaped indention ran horizontally along the right side of the stabilizer and rudder. The remainder of the pieces bent around the indentation.

The rudder counterweight was located resting against a portable lavatory approximately 220 feet south-southwest of the vertical stabilizer and rudder pieces. It was broken aft longitudinally.

Approximately 1,690 feet north of the st