NYC94FA128

The pilot was asked by the airport manager to fly a parachute jump flight in a Cessna 172. The manager suggested that the pilot make a soft field takeoff & climb straight out to gain altitude. Witnesses reported the takeoff and initial climb appeared normal, but at about 200' AGL, the airplane leveled off, then descended about 50' and continued forward for a moment. The right wing then dropped and the airplane entered a steep descent. It crashed on wooded terrain along the extended centerline of the runway and burned. No preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane was found. There was evidence that the engine was producing power. The passenger door, right front seat, & rear seat had been removed for parachute jumping (leaving only the pilot's seat), but no record was found of the new weight & balance computation. The airplane was estimated to be 76 lbs over its maximum takeoff weight. The airplane was equipped with dual controls. A jumper was observed sitting at the right front seat passenger door (leaning against the rear door frame) with his legs 'straight out in front of him, his feet crossed and at the very outside edge of the plane.' Due to fire damage, use of seat belts was not verified. This was the pilot's first parachute jump flight and first flight with the door removed.

History of flight

On July 16, 1994, at 1007 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172R, N1124V, operated by the Mad River Airport and piloted by Owen Damewood, was destroyed during impact and post crash fire while taking off from the Mad River Airport (I-54), Urbana, Ohio. The pilot and three parachute jumpers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight operating under 14 CFR 91. On July 13, 1994, N1124V was delivered to I-54, to have an annual inspection completed. The airplane was then to be used on July 16, 1994, for a parachute jump. The annual maintenance inspection was completed on July 15, 1994, and a test flight of 5/10th's of an hour duration was conducted by the airport manager the same day. In an interview with Mr. Michael Rychnovsky, the airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic who performed the annual inspection, he stated that N1124V remained outside on the ramp of I-54 the evening of July 15, 1994.

On July 16, 1994, an air show and fly-in was being conducted at I-54. Mr. Rychnovsky moved N1124V that morning to another area, because the area in which it was parked was to be used for air show parking.

Mr. Rychnovsky stated that he did not preflight the airplane and did not drain the fuel tank sumps, but did check the oil level. Before starting the engine, he did note that the fuel gauges indicated between 1/2 and 3/4 full. The engine started on the first attempt, but he did not do an engine run up, nor did he check the flaps, the elevator, the rudder or ailerons. Mr. Rychnovsky then taxied the airplane to its new parking spot. He did not notice any dragging or sticking brakes during the taxi. He estimated the engine ran for a total of 2 to 4 minutes.

The airplane was scheduled to be used that morning to drop three parachute jumpers over the airport. The right side passenger door and seat, and the rear passenger bench seat, had been removed from the airplane. Mr. Thomas Printz, the I-54 Manager, arranged for Mr. Damewood to fly the parachute flight.

During an interview, Mr. Printz stated that as part of a briefing, he suggested to the pilot to make a soft field takeoff from I-54, and climb straight out after takeoff for a few miles before turning back to the airport. He told Mr. Damewood that the jumper-in- charge on the flight would brief him on what he wanted the pilot to do during the flight.

Several witnesses observed N1124V during its takeoff roll and initial climb. One witness on the south side of the runway parking airplanes stated, he observed N1124V taxi onto the runway and initiate a takeoff roll. He further stated:

"...The takeoff roll and rotation looked normal to me. As the plane approached me it was 6 to 7 feet AGL [above ground level]. The skydiver in the front was sitting on the edge of the door, leaning back against the rear of the door frame. His legs were straight out in front of him, his feet crossed and at the very outside edge of the plane. I looked at him then waved, he smiled, waved, then crossed his arms. As the plane passed by me it was climbing fine, the engine sounded smooth and was making power, the flaps were at about 10 degrees. At that time I parked the plane I was waiting for. I looked up to see N1124V pass the end of the runway at approximately 400 feet AGL. I then looked back up the runway...At that time I heard what sounded like a gunshot. As I turned back toward the end of runway 9...I thought ...[there were] people at the river shooting guns...when I looked up, N1124V was going into the trees, and the sound of limbs breaking could be heard...as the plane disappeared, black smoke appeared...."

A pilot who departed behind N1124V stated, he observed N1124V closely due to spacing of the airplanes. He further stated N1124V leveled off about 200 feet AGL, then descended about 50 feet and continued forward for a moment.

The right wing then went down severely and the airplane went straight down into some trees. The airplane was generally on the runway center line.

The airplane impacted trees about 1,200 feet beyond the departure end of the runway and was consumed by a post crash fire. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight at approximately 40 degrees, 01 minutes north latitude, and 83 degrees, 50 minutes west longitude.

Personnel information

The pilot Mr. Owen Damewood, held a Commercial Pilot Certificate with ratings for airplane single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane.

His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Second Class Medical Certificate was issued on October 6, 1993.

Mr. Damewood's pilot log book indicated that he had a total of 2,610 hours of flight experience. During the previous 7 years he had logged about 689 hours of pilot-in-command (PIC) time, of which about 686 PIC hours were in his personally owned Cessna 210. His total PIC time in Cessna 172's during this period of time consisted of 1.8 hours in June 1994, of which .9 hours was in N1124V.

Aircraft information

N1124V was flown into I-54 on July 13, 1994, by the owner Mr. Eric Shiffer. Mr. Shiffer filled the fuel tanks of N1124V, flew for about 2 hours, then returned the airplane to I-54 and left it to have the annual maintenance inspection performed. Mr. Shiffer stated in an interview that the airplane flew well and had no known problems.

Aerodrome information

The Mad River Airport runway direction was 090 degrees and 270 degrees. The runway was 3,400 feet long, level, with a short cropped grass surface. A 15 foot dirt embankment existed at the departure end of runway 09, and approximately 30 foot trees were about 100 feet beyond the runway departure end.

Wreckage and impact information

The airplane wreckage was examined at the accident site on July 16 and 17, 1994. The examination revealed that all major components of the airplane were accounted for at the scene, and the airplane came to rest inverted on an approximate magnetic bearing of 215 degrees, at a ground elevation of about 940 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

The airplane impacted in a tree line which was approximately 90 feet deep (the direction of flight) and 2,000 feet wide. Along the airplane's flight path, between the departure airport and the tree line, was a level bean field 860 feet deep and about 2,500 feet wide. Initial tree impact scars were observed in trees about 59 feet from the main wreckage. The impact scars were progressively lower on the trees in the direction of the wreckage. The tree scars indicated a general magnetic bearing of 112 degrees to the wreckage. Several pieces of painted sheet metal, plexiglass, and fiberglass were found along the tree impact flight path.

A 3-inch diameter tree, about 31 feet from the initial tree scars, was cut off at a 55 degree angle 5 feet above the ground. The cut was clean and on the westerly side of the tree. The surface of the cut was curled-over in a easterly direction, toward the wreckage. Black paint marks, similar to the black paint used on the propeller blades, was observed on the cut.

The first ground scar was 37 feet from the initial tree impact scars. The descent angle measured between the initial tree scars and the first ground scar was approximately 60 degrees. The anti-collision light was separated from the top of the vertical stabilizer and found to the right of the wreckage path, about 40 feet from the main wreckage.

The main fuselage, left wing and the engine were extensively burned during the post crash fire. All nylon straps were burned.

This include the seat belts, shoulder harnesses and the parachute webbing. Examination of the cockpit area produced no useful information due to fire damage.

Control continuity was established to the ailerons, rudder, elevator and the elevator trim system. The flaps were measured to be extended about 6 degrees. The elevator trim was measured to be set at ap