# NTSB CHI02LA236: Cessna 172N, N739VN, Sidney, NE, August 4, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 4, 2002, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC) - Place: Sidney, NE - Location: 41.0998° N, 102.9850° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at SIDNEY MUNI/LLOYD W CARR FLD (SNY), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.0998&lon=-102.9850&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 6, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA-Lincoln, Nebraska-FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 55463 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02LA236 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55463/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02LA236 ## Probable cause The pilot not maintaining sufficient airspeed during the takeoff, and the inadvertent stall encountered by the pilot. The low altitude was a factor. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - altitude - low (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The airplane was damaged when it impacted the runway during takeoff. The pilot stated that he lifted off at 65 knots airspeed and started to climb. He stated that when he had climbed to an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground, the airplane, "went into a stall [and] settled back to [the] runway striking [the] left wing." In the report, the pilot listed no mechanical failure of the airplane. No preexisting anomalies were found during a postaccident examination of the airplane. ## Factual narrative On August 4, 2002, at 1300 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N739VN, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the runway during takeoff from runway 30 (6,600 feet by 100 feet, concrete), at the Sidney Municipal Airport, Sidney, Nebraska. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. There were no injuries to the pilot, or his three passengers. The flight was originating at the time of the accident with an intended destination of Ft. Collins, Colorado. In his written report, the pilot stated that he lifted off at 65 knots airspeed and started to climb. He stated that when he had climbed to an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground, the airplane, "went into a stall [and] settled back to [the] runway striking [the] left wing." In the report, the pilot listed no mechanical failure of the airplane. No preexisting anomalies were found during a postaccident examination of the airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N739VN](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N739VN), registered now, S/N 17270842, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172N - Registry model: [Cessna 172N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (registry code 2072434) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17270842 - Airframe hours: 7793 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Aspen Flight Center, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility - Last inspection: 100 hour, July 12, 2002 - Departed: SNY, Sidney, NE - Destination: FNL, FORT COLLINS, CO - Airport: SNY, Sidney Municipal, runway 30, 6,600 × 100 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 38; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review November 20, 2000; seat: left; flight hours: 354 total, 195 in this make and model, 291 as pilot in command, 4 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 80° at 7 knots, gusting 16 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.17 inHg - Observed at: SNY ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020804027679A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020804027679A), Aug 4, 2002: Cessna 172N, Sidney, NE, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot attempted a downwind uphill takeoff from the Sidney, Nebraska airport. The aircraft attained an estimated altitude of 50 feet, stalled, contacted… ## Other investigations on N739VN (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB FTW94LA251](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW94LA251), Jul 27, 1994: Cessna 172N (N739VN), Englewood, CO, destroyed. Probable cause: AN INADVERTENT STALL. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S EXCESSIVE FLARE. - [NTSB CHI91LA023](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI91LA023), Nov 3, 1990: Cessna 172 (N739VN), Fort Scott, KS, substantial damage. Probable cause: THE MIXTURE CONTROL WAS SET INCORRECTLY RESULTING IN FUEL STARVATION, AND THE CHECK LIST WAS NOT FOLLOWED BY THE CFI/PIC. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.