Cessna 172H N1404F

Summary

On 14 April 2000 at about 16:02 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N1404F was involved in an accident near Grottoes, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 April 2000 at 16:02

Classification

Accident

Location

Grottoes, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Shenandoah Valley Regionl (SHD)

Coordinates

38.2604, -78.8203

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N1404F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Williamsburg → Weyers Cave

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC00FA112

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of control of the airplane in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. Factors included the pilot's lack of instrument time under actual conditions, and his lack of recent instrument flight experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on an instrument flight rules flight plan, in instrument meteorological conditions. He was instructed to fly a heading, until receiving a non-directional beacon, then proceed directly to the beacon. After the pilot reported receiving the beacon, the airplane turned to right, about 90 degrees, followed by a 180-degree turn to the left. At the completion of the second turn, the airplane disappeared from radar. There were no distress calls from the pilot. The ground impact point was found in the vicinity of the last radar contact, and accident site evidence indicated an almost vertical, final descent. All flight control surfaces were accounted for at the accident scene, and propeller signatures indicated high engine power at impact. The vacuum pump was destroyed, but internally, exhibited rotational scoring and rotational smudging. The pilot had 254 hours of total flight time, with 53 hours of simulated instrument flight time, and 0.4 hours of actual instrument flight time. The pilot's last simulated instrument flight experience occurred 4 months prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.