- Date
- October 5, 2021, 20:45 local (Oct 6, 2021, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Williston, FL · KX60 Airport
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N78604Cessna 172K
- Defining event
- Approach: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20211005020139A
- Case key
- 104071
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 terrain on approach which resulted in controlled flight into trees. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the approach path, the dark night conditions and the landing light being off.
Findings · 7
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
During a night instructional flight, the flight instructor simulated an engine failure while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. As the airplane approached the runway with the landing light off, the flight instructor noticed that they were low on the approach. When the instructor asked the student if the landing light was on, the student pilot promptly answered “no” and turned it on. The airplane struck trees at the same moment, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and tail. A review of meteorological and astronomical data revealed there was a broken cloud layer at 6,000 feet above ground level and the phase of the moon was a waning crescent with 1% of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated. Further review indicated that the Moon had set about 1 hour and 43 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78604
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257683
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 4,341
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Ocala Aviation Services Inc, doing business as Ocala Aviation Flight Training Center
- Registered owner
- Ocala Aviation Services Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 14, 2021
- Departed
- OCF · Ocala, FL
- Destination
- X60 · Williston, FL
- Airport
- X60 · Williston Muni, runway 5, 6,669 × 100 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 4, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 623 total · 534 in this make and model · 593 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 13 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 17
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 30 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KOCF, 17 nm away
- METAR
- KOCF 060051Z AUTO 00000KT 8SM -RA BKN060 BKN120 25/22 A3004 RMK AO2 RAB43 SLP171 P0000 T02500222
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13.0 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.