ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37379
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| Date: | Sunday 2 April 2000 |
| Time: | 20:20 |
| Type: |  Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG |
| Owner/operator: | Peachtree Flight Center |
| Registration: | N1997Q |
| MSN: | 177RG0397 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1962 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Winkler Helistop Airport (15FD), FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Winkler Helistop Airport, FL (15FD) |
| Atlanta Regional Airport, GA (FFC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On April 2, 2000, about 2020 central daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N1997Q, registered to a private individual, collided with trees then the ground during takeoff from a private airstrip near Chipley, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot was fatally injured. A passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot received a weather briefing before departure and also requested an outlook for the next morning; the briefing specialist advising that he would be better off going tonight. A flashlight was placed on a fencepost midpoint of the runway and a car was positioned at the departure end of the runway facing the approach end with 'dim lights'. After rotation, the pilot-rated witness observed the airplane bank to the left. The airplane then pitched up steep, collided with the tops of trees that bordered the left side of the runway, and 'turned from an almost vertical nose up to a vertical nose down attitude to the right and hit the ground.' Postaccident examination of the flight controls and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction or engine mechanical failure, respectively. Bench testing of the servo fuel injector revealed the fuel flow was erratic and the fuel flow in terms of pounds per hour (pph) was 2.0 pph less than specified. The operator prohibited operations into grass airstrips; the pilot was reportedly previously made aware of this procedure. The pilot also did not meet the operator's prescribed number of complex takeoff and landings before rental.
Probable Cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain runway alignment during the initial climb from the grass airstrip. Also, the excessive pull-up by the pilot and inadvertent stall. Findings in the investigation were 1) in-flight collision with the tops of trees and 2) the pilot's operation of the airplane into a grass airstrip contrary to the operator's procedures.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X20872&key=1
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 12-Dec-2017 18:34 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Oct-2022 19:35 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
| 21-Oct-2022 19:35 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
| 21-Oct-2022 19:36 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
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