- Date
- July 8, 1996, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cherry Tree, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1412FCessna 172H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960708016079I
- Case key
- 39214
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 assure that adequate takeoff distance was available to clear an obstacle.
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 had been landed by another pilot in a nearby field earlier that day due to fuel exhaustion. According to the accident pilot, he added 10 gallons of fuel, did a preflight that consisted of determining the takeoff distance and the airplane weight and balance. He also 'paced off the road and looked for any obstructions that could interfere with the takeoff roll.' An engine runup was conducted before the takeoff. The pilot reported he used the short field takeoff procedure, and the takeoff roll was normal. During the initial climb the airplane struck the top wire of a transmission line, which caused the airplane to turn left and impact the ground.
Factual narrative
On July 8, 1996, about 1930 eastern daylight time, N1412F, a Cessna 172H airplane, struck a power line during takeoff from a road at Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and the destination was Titusville, Pennsylvania.
The airplane was landed by another pilot in a nearby field earlier that day due to fuel exhaustion. According to the accident pilot: " Myself and another pilot paced off the dirt road, and also looked for any obstructions that could interfere with the takeoff roll. Everything was in good order, and I felt the flight could be done safely. I added ten gallons of fuel, enough to get met to Titusville Airport, about 3 to 5 miles away. A weight and balance, and also a takeoff distance was completed, and found to be in respectable limits according to the operation manual of the aircraft.
"The weather was not a factor for the flight. Preflight of the Cessna 172 was normal, and all components of the aircraft were in working order. Run-up was normal. The dirt/gravel road had a downhill slope to it. A short field takeoff was performed as directed in the operation manual. The takeoff roll was normal, as I was climbing out, I struck the top wire of a electrical line. This in turn caused the aircraft to turn to the left, and strike the ground. An all out effort was made to recover, but the impact with the wire was too great to control. " The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1412F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-54907
- Airframe hours
- 4,130
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Airpark Flying Club, N.E., Pa
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 12, 1995 · 125 hours before
- Destination
- 6G1 · Titusville, PA
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 900 total · 380 in this make and model · 850 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 23 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FKL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.