- Date
- May 10, 2021, 20:10 local (May 11, 2021, 03:10 UTC)
- Place
- Chandler, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N47AFCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 103083
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 locate the airport which resulted in an approach to a road and subsequent collision with powerlines during a go-around in low light conditions.
Findings · 3
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 reported that, she was on approach to land at a private airpark while nearing the end of civil twilight. She keyed the radio microphone multiple times during the approach but was unsuccessful to activate the airpark’s high intensity lighting. During the approach she initiated a go around when she realized that she had aligned with a road instead of the runway. During the go around, the airplane struck powerlines, impacted terrain, and came to rest nose down against a fence. The right wing and the fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Members of the airpark added that shortly after the accident, the airpark’s runway lights were activated and verified to be operational.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N47AF
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17281041
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 19,939.3
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Ameriflyers Of Texas Inc
- Registered owner
- Ameriflyers Of Texas Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 25, 2021
- Departed
- KROW · Roswell, NM
- Destination
- P19 · Chandler, AZ
- Airport
- P19 · Stellar Airpark, runway 35, 4,416 × 80 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 23
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 1,003 in this make and model · 1,173 as pilot in command · 157 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.75 inHg
- Observed at
- KCHD, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KCHD 110247Z 26008KT 10SM SKC 31/M09 A2975
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 1, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 MB in all.