- Date
- November 4, 2015, 19:45 local (Nov 5, 2015, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Alcoa, TN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N905CPCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Airport occurrence
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20151104018439A
- Case key
- 92338
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 identify the taxiway, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with terrain while turning off the runway at night.
Findings · 3
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 flight, the pilot reported that after he landed on the runway, he slowed the airplane to taxi speed, and continued to the taxiway turnoff. The pilot misidentified the taxiway turn and turned off the runway into a grass area between the runway and taxiway. The pilot reported that the grass area had a downslope that led to level ground and he felt a bump from the tail as the airplane transitioned from the downslope to level ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During a night flight, the pilot reported that after he landed on the runway, he slowed the airplane to taxi speed, and continued to the taxiway turnoff. The pilot misidentified the taxiway turn and turned off the runway into a grass area between the runway and taxiway. The pilot reported that the grass area had a downslope that led to level ground and he felt a bump from the tail as the airplane transitioned from the downslope to level ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N905CP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8329
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 2,669
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol Inc
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 11, 2015
- Departed
- TYS · Alcoa, TN
- Destination
- TYS · Alcoa, TN
- Airport
- TYS · Mc Ghee Tyson, runway 23L, 8,997 × 150 ft, concrete
- 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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 4, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 10,061 total · 200 in this make and model · 7,666 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 5 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KTYS, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 8, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.