- Date
- February 2, 1991, 16:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- Augusta, ME
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N62746Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910202001489A
- Case key
- 36780
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 rotated the airplane at an improper speed, then allowed the climb angle to become too steep, causing an inadvertent stall at too low an altitude to allow recovery. Contributing factors in the accident were; the pilot failed to use all of the available runway; and the pilot's low time and total lack of flight experience.
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
Witnesses saw the airplane land and then slow to taxi speed. At an intersecting runway with approximately 400 feet of runway remaining the pilot elected to takeoff. Witness saw the airplane takeoff at a slow speed, and climb at a steep angle. A witness said, '... The plane immediately nosed over and fell to the ground...' At the time of the accident the pilot had a total of 130 flight hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62746
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275332
- Airframe hours
- 1,854
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Maine Wing, doing business as Cap
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 31, 1989
- Departed
- PWM · Portland, ME
- Airport
- AUG · Augusta State, runway 26, 2,703 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 130.1 total · 12.8 in this make and model · 71.8 as pilot in command · 5.9 in the last 90 days · 5.9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 18 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AUG
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.