FTW03LA220

The aircraft collided with trees while in the airport traffic pattern. According to the pilot, he encountered a downdraft while turning left base for a landing to the runway. Runway 17 is 5,000 feet long and 75 feet wide. Wind was reported by the weather observation facility at 1F0 to be from the southeast at 9 to 11 knots, with gusts to 16 knots. Official sunset was calculated by the Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory to be 1943.

On September 10, 2003, about 1935 central daylight time, a Cessna 172M single-engine airplane, N9651Q, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground following a loss of control while landing at Ardmore Downtown Executive Airport (1F0) near Ardmore, Oklahoma. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, received minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Litchfield Flying Ltd., of Ardmore, Oklahoma. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, which departed 1F0 approximately 1835.

In a written statement to the FAA, the 43-hour pilot, who was a visiting German citizen, stated that the airplane "experienced a sudden downdraft" while turning left base for landing to runway 17, and "the next thing I remember, I was sitting in a tree."

Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed that the airplane collided with a tree in a residential yard before impacting the ground. The airplane incurred major structural damage to the fuselage, wings, and flight controls. The accident site was located west of the centerline of runway 17, abeam the airport boundary.

Runway 17 is 5,000 feet long and 75 feet wide. Wind was reported by the weather observation facility at 1F0 to be from the southeast at 9 to 11 knots, with gusts to 16 knots. Official sunset was calculated by the Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory to be 1943.