- Date
- October 1, 1989, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bingham, ME
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 4 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N89219Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891001037389A
- Case key
- 36559
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 inadequate preflight planning to assure that the airplane was capable of outclimbing the surrounding terrain under the existing wind and airplane weight conditions, resulting in an intentional stall into the terrain. Contributing factor(s) was: the terrain and wind conditions.
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 airplane was on a local sightseeing flt with the plt, 2 adult pax & 3 children ages 5 thru 11. After making a left turnout after takeoff, the plt realized he could not outclimb the terrain, so he shut everything off and stalled into the trees. When the pilot made his left turnout, the airplane was operating on the downwind side of a ridge with 10-15 kt winds. The airplane's weight & balance could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89219
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276000
- Airframe hours
- 2,895
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Teleford Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · June 21, 1989
- Airport
- ME08 · Gadabout-Gaddis
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 460 total · 375 in this make and model · 330 as pilot in command · 135 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N89219 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.