- Date
- September 9, 2014, 08:25 local (12:25 UTC)
- Place
- Watertown, CT
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N20469Cessna 172M
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140909017639A
- Case key
- 90050
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 decision to takeoff from a field which resulted in a collision with trees and the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to correctly identify the destination airport and runway, which resulted in an off-airport landing in the field.
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 stated that he was utilizing an iPad for navigation, and mistakenly landed in a field rather than his intended destination, an airport with a turf runway. After landing, he taxied the airplane to a corner of the field and commenced a takeoff roll, estimating the available takeoff distance to be about 600 feet. Just after takeoff, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and engine firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was utilizing an iPad for navigation, and mistakenly landed in a field rather than his intended destination, an airport with a turf runway. After landing, he taxied the airplane to a corner of the field and commenced a takeoff roll, estimating the available takeoff distance to be about 600 feet. Just after takeoff, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and engine firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20469
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261312
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 8,853
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 16, 2014
- Departed
- DXR · Danbury, CT
- Destination
- N41 · Waterbury, CT
- Airport
- N41 · Waterbury
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 12, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 960 total · 800 in this make and model · 886 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 90° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- KOXC, 8 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 30, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.9 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.