Cessna 172S N5295Y

Summary

On 10 October 2015 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N5295Y was involved in an accident near Seville, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 October 2015 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Seville, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.3431, -81.4519

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N5295Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Daytona → Daytona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA008

1 person died.

The airplane’s encounter with a downdraft, and the pilot's decision to maneuver the airplane at a low altitude and airspeed, which provided insufficient time and altitude to recover before impacting terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, during a local flight, he encountered a downdraft while maneuvering the airplane between 300 and 600 ft above ground level at an airspeed about 75 knots. He stated that he attempted to recover, but the airplane continued to sink and subsequently impacted trees and terrain. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal evidence of any mechanical any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The conditions reported by the closest weather observation facility, located 23 nautical miles away, included scattered towering cumulus clouds and 6-knot winds. Additionally, towering cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds were noted near the airport. Atmospheric modeling data noted the potential for strong low-level thermal activity near the accident site about the time of the accident. Given the weather conditions that prevailed about the time of the accident, it is likely that the airplane encountered a downdraft; given the airplane's altitude and airspeed at the time of the encounter, the pilot had insufficient time to regain control of the airplane before it impacted the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.