Cessna 172F N5259F

Summary

On 7 August 1983 at about 17:25 local time, a Cessna 172F registered N5259F, operated by U S Air Force, was involved in an accident near El Paso, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and 3 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

7 August 1983 at 17:25

Classification

Accident

Location

El Paso, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

El Paso International (ELP)

Coordinates

31.8003, -106.3607

Aircraft

Cessna 172F

Registration

N5259F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

U S Air Force

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Pecos

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW83FA362

3 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

TWO PLTS & 2 PASSENGERS DEPARTED SAN ANGELO, TX, ON A X-COUNTRY FLT, ONE OF THE PLTS, WHO HAD 95 HRS OF FLYING TIME, WAS THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) FOR THE 1ST LEG OF THE X-COUNTRY TO EL PASO, TX. ON THE NEXT LEG, THE OTHER PLT ASSUMED DUTIES AS PIC & SIGNED THE FLT PLAN. DURING AN INTERSECTION TAKEOFF WITH 5600 FT REMAINING, THE ACFT LIFTED OFF AFTER ROLLING AN ESTMATED 1500 FT. IT THEN CLIMBED TO AN ESTIMATED MAX ALT OF ABOUT 300 FT. THE PLT ACCEPTED A TURN TO 120 DEG TO MAKE WAY FOR A DEPARTING JET. AFTER STARTING THE TURN, THE ACFT SUDDENLY DROPPED, LOSING ABOUT 1/3 OF ITS ALT. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT IT CLIMBED & DROPPED 2 MORE TIMES. ON THE LOST TIME, IT CRASHED IN THE DESERT IN A STEEP DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE PROPS HAD EVIDENCE OF HI ROTATIONAL DAMAGE. THE DENSITY ALT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 6424 FT. TOWER PERSONNEL DESCRIBED THE ACFT AS BEING NEAR ITS STALL SPEED FROM LIFT-OFF UNTIL IT CRASHED. THE ACFT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 38 LBS OVER ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.