Cessna A185F N2423A

Summary

On 5 July 2022 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N2423A, operated by Hutter Charles G, was involved in an accident near Plymouth, Connecticut, United States. One person was on board and one 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

5 July 2022 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Plymouth, Connecticut, United States

Nearest airport

Waterbury (N41)

Coordinates

41.6334, -73.0468

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N2423A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Hutter Charles G

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Westerly

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA300

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s encounter with known and forecast adverse weather which resulted in a collision with trees during the initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot described the takeoff from the 2,000 ft-long turf runway surrounded by tall trees. He stated the airplane was making “takeoff power” and that all instruments were “in the green.” At the departure end of the runway the airplane encountered “windshear or a downdraft” and that the leaves in the treetops were being “pushed down.” The 6,000-hour pilot said he had never encountered windshear or a downdraft like it before. He said he adjusted the pitch attitude to best angle of climb, but that the airplane settled into the trees and descended to the ground while substantially damaging the wings, fuselage, and the empennage. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident site discussed the forecast and PIREPS for low-level windshear with the pilot. The pilot said he had reviewed the weather, but as it was “nothing he hadn’t flown in before,” he elected to depart. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.