- Date
- July 28, 2001, 08:15 local (12:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ocala, FL
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N78234Cessna 182Q
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010728023359A
- Case key
- 52871
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 improper planning/decision and failure to properly judge takeoff distance, and his delayed decision to abort the takeoff, which resulted in the aircraft colliding with a fence at the end of the runway, and incurring substantial damage.
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
The pilot said that there were five people on board the aircraft, and he was attempting a soft field takeoff but the aircraft was not accelerating in ground effect. He said that with about a third of the runway left, he believed that he could easily stop the aircraft, but when he applied the brakes the aircraft did not slow down, so he aimed for what looked like the lowest part of the fence ahead of him. He said he was about to pull the mixture, when he decided to add power and jump the fence instead, and the aircraft struck the fence with the undercarriage and tail, incurring substantial damage. According to the pilot, prior to the accident there had been no mechanical failure or malfunction to the aircraft or any of its systems.
Factual narrative
On July 28, 2001, about 0815 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N78234, registered to TLC Land Trust, and operated by a private individual as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed into a fence while attempting to take off from a private grass strip near Ocala, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated flight instructor, three seated passengers, and one small child received no injuries, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot stated that he chose to take off with the downhill grade, and had set 10 degrees of flaps. The pilot further stated that the throttle was full forward, and rearward elevator pressure was applied for a soft field takeoff. The pilot said that during the takeoff, the nose got a little high, and he heard the stall warning horn, so he released some of the back pressure. He said that the airplane had not been accelerating in ground effect, and with about a third of the runway left, he believed that he could easily stop the aircraft. He said he added as much elevator as he felt would be safe, and applied the brakes, but the aircraft did not slow down. He said he aimed for what looked like the lowest part of the fence ahead of him, and was about to pull the mixture, when he decided to add power and jump the fence instead. According to the pilot, the aircraft struck the fence with the undercarriage and tail, incurring substantial damage. The pilot said that prior to the accident, there had been no mechanical failure or malfunction to the aircraft, or any of its systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78234
- Reported as
- Cessna 182Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18266400
- Airframe hours
- 1,002.4
- Engine
- Teledyne Cont O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- TLC Land Trust
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 16, 2000 · 54.4 hours before
- Departed
- Ocala, FL
- Destination
- PIE · St Petersburg, FL
- Airport
- Flying Dutchman, runway 09, 3,000 × 80 ft, grass/turf
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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- April 19, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 420 total · 40 in this make and model · 293 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- OCF, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.