Cessna 162 N7024V

Summary

On 1 August 2011 at about 21:45 local time, a Cessna 162 registered N7024V, operated by The Jerome L. Quint Living Trust, was involved in an accident near Rawlings, Wyoming, 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

1 August 2011 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rawlings, Wyoming, United States

Nearest airport

Rawlins Muni/Harvey Field (KRWL)

Coordinates

41.8033, -107.2000

Aircraft

Cessna 162

Registration

N7024V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

The Jerome L. Quint Living Trust

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rawlings → Burns Field

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11CA365

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to attempt a takeoff at a density altitude that was outside the performance envelope of the airplane. Also causal was the flight's likely encounter with a sudden tailwind gust.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that prior to takeoff, he noted an approaching storm but estimated that the wind was light and variable for the takeoff roll. The airplane was slow to accelerate and reached the 50 knot rotation speed halfway down the runway. The pilot stated that the airplane lifted off and maintained an altitude a few feet above the runway, but lost altitude at the end. The airplane struck the ground and subsequently nosed over, coming to rest inverted. A few minutes after the accident, the pilot reported that it began to rain. The airport density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be approximately 9,000 feet, which is 1,000 feet above the manufacturer's recommended maximum takeoff altitude as outlined in the Pilot's Operating Handbook. The weather observation facility located on the field reported that 3 minutes before the accident the wind was a left quartering tailwind at 5 knots, while shortly after the accident the wind was a left quartering tailwind at 22 knots, gusting to 32 knots with respect to the airplane's takeoff runway direction. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.