Cessna 172P N65685

Summary

On 25 May 2007 at about 03:00 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N65685 was involved in an accident near Manhattan, Kansas, United States. 2 people were 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

25 May 2007 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Manhattan, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Manhattan Muni (MHK)

Coordinates

39.1408, -96.6708

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N65685

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manhattan → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DEN07CA096

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing. A contributing factor was the inadvertent encounter with the military helicopter's rotor wash.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to departure from runway 03, the flight instructor noted a military UH-60 helicopter operating near the runway. The helicopter maneuvered away from runway 03, and the airplane departed. As the airplane reached the traffic pattern altitude (1,900 feet mean sea level), the instructor overheard a second military helicopter pilot report he was on base leg for runway 03. During the legs of the traffic pattern, the instructor reported his position and intentions on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). The instructor reported on CTAF that he was turning for a one-half mile final to runway 03, and a military helicopter at the approach end of runway 03 appeared to proceed upwind. Based on his observations, the flight instructor continued on the visual approach to land. Approximately 200 feet above ground level (agl), the instructor noted that the helicopter did not depart, but was hovering 200 to 300 feet agl approximately 2/3 down the runway. Concerned about the risk of a mid-air collision during a go-around, the instructor decided to continued the landing. As the airplane crossed the runway 03 threshold, the instructor realized the helicopter was hovering at 200 feet agl near the 1,000 foot runway markers. The instructor reported, "As the main wheels touched down the aircraft was caught in a gust of wind from the outflow of the helicopter's rotor wash. The aircraft ballooned up approximately two feet above the runway and immediately caught down flow from the rotor wash which forced the aircraft to the ground. The main wheels struck the runway, followed by the nose wheel which collapsed on impact. The aircraft skidded approximately 25 feet before coming to rest."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.