Cessna R172K N736KL

Summary

On 13 October 1998 at about 11:00 local time, a Cessna R172K registered N736KL was involved in an accident near Bowie, Maryland, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 October 1998 at 11:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bowie, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Freeway (WOO)

Coordinates

38.9893, -76.7392

Aircraft

Cessna R172K

Registration

N736KL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gaithersburg → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD99FA005

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Also causal was the pilot's poor in-flight planning/decision, and his continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. A related factor was the fog.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was scheduled to fly the early morning traffic watch with a traffic reporter, for about 3 hours, to provide coverage in the Washington/Virginia area. The reporter said they departed about 6:00 a.m. and that he was unable to provide his first traffic update due to the ground fog. A witness about a 1/4 mile from the accident site, said he heard an airplane circle overhead, but he was unable to see it through the dense fog. Shortly thereafter, through the broken clouds, he saw a blue and white airplane, followed by an engine surge, and then he heard an impact. The airplane struck the patio of a residence. The airplane and the rear section of the residence was destroyed as a result of the collision and post-crash fire. A helicopter pilot who was also reporting traffic said that the ceiling was about 300 feet and there was no forward visibility. The traffic reporter in the accident airplane said that they were about 400 feet, and they tried to land, but the pilot added power with 40 degree of flaps. He said the airplane stalled and he heard the pilot say, 'Oh no.' Examination of the engine and airframe did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.