Cessna 172L N4303Q

Summary

On 9 December 2001 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna 172L registered N4303Q was involved in an accident near Reedsburg, Wisconsin, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 December 2001 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Reedsburg, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Reedsburg Municipal (C35)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 172L

Registration

N4303Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reedsburg → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI02LA053

Nobody was injured.

The pilot inadvertently released the seat adjustment mechanism which resulted in the seat sliding back during takeoff, and his subsequent failure to maintain control of the airplane. A factor associated with the accident was the runway light control box, which the airplane contacted.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with a runway end identifier light control box following a loss of control on takeoff. The pilot reported that his seat slid back on takeoff and because the nose of the airplane was high, his forward visibility was limited. The pilot reported he felt a couple of "bumps". He then was able to slide the seat forward and abort the takeoff. The pilot reported that he taxied back to the runway and departed for Kenosha. He reported the airplane seemed to lack power during the flight. The pilot reported that he was trying to attach a hand held GPS unit to his leg with a cable when the seat slid back. He reported that the cable most likely became attached to the seat adjustment lever and this resulted in the lever being moved, and the seat sliding back. Damage to the airplane included buckling and puncture damage to the lower fuselage, engine cowling, and left horizontal stabilizer, firewall damage, the tip of one propeller was missing and the other propeller tip was damaged, and a section of the exhaust system was crushed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.