- Date
- September 22, 2004, 17:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Provo, UT
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5338HCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040922021839A
- Case key
- 60188
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 premature liftoff which resulted in failure to attain airspeed which resulted in a stall.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A student pilot, attempting a soft-field take-off, applied full power, but the "airplane did not respond as earlier in [the] day" and it "did not climb as expected." The airplane pitched up and veered off the left side of the runway. He said he was "too low to push [the] nose down to increase airspeed." The airplane's left wing dropped and struck the ground. The airplane spun around to the left, the nose and right wing struck the ground and the airplane came to a stop on a heading of approximately 070 degrees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, and the engine and right wing strut were separated from the fuselage.
Factual narrative
On September 22, 2004, at approximately 1730 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172, N5338H, piloted by a student pilot, was substantially damaged when it struck terrain during takeoff from Provo Municipal Airport (PVU), Provo, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local solo-instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot received minor injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to the student pilot, he was attempting a soft-field takeoff on runway 31. He stated that when he taxied onto the runway, he continued to roll further down the runway to allow a landing airplane to clear the runway. After the runway was clear, he applied full power. He stated that the "airplane did not respond as earlier in [the] day" and it "did not climb as expected." The airplane pitched up and veered off the left side of the runway. He said he was "too low to push [the] nose down to increase airspeed." The airplane's left wing dropped and struck the ground. The airplane spun around to the left, the nose and right wing struck the ground and the airplane came to a stop on a heading of approximately 070 degrees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, and the engine and right wing strut were separated from the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5338H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265406
- Airframe hours
- 1,364.4
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Smith and Barlow Enterprises Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PVU · Provo, UT
- Destination
- PVU · Provo, UT
- Airport
- PVU · Provo Municipal, runway 31, 8,600 × 150 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 36 total · 36 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KPVU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.