Cessna 172K N46603

Summary

On 18 March 2014 at about 23:25 local time, a Cessna 172K registered N46603, operated by Skypark Inc, was involved in an accident near Elizabethton, Tennessee, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 March 2014 at 23:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Elizabethton, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Elizabethton Muni (0A9)

Coordinates

36.4333, -82.1600

Aircraft

Cessna 172K

Registration

N46603

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Skypark Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elizabethton → Wadsworth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA158

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s delayed decision to maneuver around rising terrain, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to calculate the performance requirements needed to climb over mountainous terrain before the flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and two passengers were returning home on a cross-country flight. The pilot departed on the accident flight from runway 06 on the left downwind leg with the intention of flying over a mountain range; the airport facility directory current at the time of the accident stated that departures from runway 06 were required to make right traffic, which is intended to provide departing aircraft with adequate clearance from the surrounding terrain. During the climb, the pilot became concerned that the airplane would not clear the approaching rising terrain, so he attempted to maneuver the airplane away from it; however, the airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not calculate the performance requirements needed to clear the 3,000-ft-tall mountain peak before the flight. Performance calculations based on data reported by the pilot indicated that the airplane's climb rate was too low to provide clearance from terrain along the pilot's selected route.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.