Cessna 172 N612DF

Summary

On 30 July 2017 at about 14:25 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N612DF, operated by Arrow Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Danbury, Connecticut, 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

30 July 2017 at 14:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Danbury, Connecticut, United States

Nearest airport

Danbury Muni (DXR)

Coordinates

41.3681, -73.4931

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N612DF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Arrow Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Danbury → Danbury

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA261

1 person died.

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane above its maximum gross weight, which likely reduced its takeoff performance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot and two passengers were departing in the airplane from the 4,422-ft-long asphalt runway. A witness reported that, while still over the runway, the airplane began to lose altitude, then entered a nose-high attitude. The airplane subsequently entered a left-turning descent consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies; although the ignition key was found in the left magneto position, the preimpact position of the key could not be determined. Performance calculations revealed that the airplane should have used less than half the available runway distance to clear a 50-ft obstacle at maximum gross weight with flaps extended to 10°. Weight and balance calculations revealed that the airplane was operating about 59 lbs over its maximum allowable gross weight at the time of the accident, and the flaps were found in the retracted position. It is likely that the pilot noticed the airplane's degraded climb performance after takeoff and attempted to compensate by increasing the airplane's pitch attitude, which resulted in decaying airspeed, an exceedance of the critical angle of attack, and an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.