Cessna 172K N78604

Summary

On 6 October 2021 at about 00:45 local time, a Cessna 172K registered N78604, operated by Ocala Aviation Services Inc, was involved in an accident near Williston, Florida, 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

6 October 2021 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Williston, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Williston Muni (X60)

Coordinates

29.3546, -82.4706

Aircraft

Cessna 172K

Registration

N78604

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Ocala Aviation Services Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ocala → Williston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA22LA006

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain on approach which resulted in controlled flight into trees. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the approach path, the dark night conditions and the landing light being off.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a night instructional flight, the flight instructor simulated an engine failure while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. As the airplane approached the runway with the landing light off, the flight instructor noticed that they were low on the approach. When the instructor asked the student if the landing light was on, the student pilot promptly answered “no” and turned it on. The airplane struck trees at the same moment, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and tail. A review of meteorological and astronomical data revealed there was a broken cloud layer at 6,000 feet above ground level and the phase of the moon was a waning crescent with 1% of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated. Further review indicated that the Moon had set about 1 hour and 43 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.