- Date
- June 27, 2011, 07:40 local (13:40 UTC)
- Place
- Price, UT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N674SPCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110627011119A
- Case key
- 80922
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 decision to attempt a takeoff at a density altitude outside of the takeoff performance envelope of the aircraft along with using an aircraft flap setting higher than the manufacture's recommended setting for takeoff.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot took off for a training flight to a dirt strip approximately 50 miles to the east. Upon landing at the strip the pilot decided to initiate a short/soft field take off down the 3,600-foot-long runway. The pilot reported that he took off with 20 degrees of flaps and was never able to get more than 10 feet off the runway surface area. At the end of the runway the pilot noticed two 3-4 foot high dirt berms. He pulled back on the yoke, missing the first berm, but the airplane settled back down and struck the second one. The resulting impact caused the aircraft to nose over and come to a rest inverted. The airplane's pilot operating handbook (POH) states that soft or rough field takeoffs should be performed with no more than 10 degrees of flaps. Furthermore the airport's density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be approximately 10,000 feet, which is 2,000 feet above the maximum altitude listed in the takeoff performance charts in the POH. The pilot reported no mechanical issues with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot took off for a training flight to a dirt strip approximately 50 miles to the east. Upon landing at the strip the pilot decided to initiate a short/soft field take off down the 3,600-foot-long runway. The pilot reported that he took off with 20 degrees of flaps and was never able to get more than 10 feet off the runway surface area. At the end of the runway the pilot noticed two 3-4 foot high dirt berms. He pulled back on the yoke, missing the first berm, but the airplane settled back down and struck the second one. The resulting impact caused the aircraft to nose over and come to a rest inverted. The airplanes pilot operating handbook (POH) states that soft or rough field takeoffs should be performed with no more than 10 degrees of flaps. Furthermore the airport's density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be approximately 10,000 feet, which is 2,000 feet above the maximum altitude listed in the takeoff performance charts in the POH. The pilot reported no mechanical issues with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N674SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8087
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Arrow West Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Arrow West Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2011 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- KPUC · Price, UT
- Destination
- KPUC · Price, UT
- Airport
- KPUC · Price Carbon County
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- August 15, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,157 total · 318 in this make and model · 1,029 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- kpuc, 55 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 22, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.