Cessna 172S N2476Y

Summary

On 17 October 2022 at about 02:45 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N2476Y, operated by American Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Statesboro, Georgia, United States. 4 people were on board and one died. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 October 2022 at 02:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Statesboro, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Statesboro-Bulloch County (TBR)

Coordinates

32.4828, -81.7369

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N2476Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

American Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Savannah → Statesboro

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA23LA022

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to include deplaning procedures as part of a passenger safety briefing and failure to have the passengers remain onboard until the engine was shut down, which resulted in a passenger subsequently being struck by the rotating propeller.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After the pilot and the pilot-rated passenger taxied to the ramp after landing, their two passengers (who were seated in the rear of the airplane) exited the airplane and were rushing to get to a waiting ride. The first passenger exited toward the engine (forward), while the second passenger exited toward the tail of the airplane. The pilot stated that he was busy following the checklist to turn off the airplane and the two passengers exited without him knowing. The power was at idle, and before he could shut off the mixture control, the first passenger was struck by the propeller. According to the pilot-rated passenger, while the pilot was trying to shut down the engine, the passengers exited the airplane, and the first passenger ran into the propeller. According to the surviving passenger, she exited the left side of the airplane, and the first passenger exited the right side of the airplane. No instructions were given to them as they exited. She could hear that the propeller was turning as she walked away from the airplane to get into her ride. Although the pilot stated that the passengers exited without him knowing, the airplane had seats for only 4 occupants. Review of the airplane manufacturer’s published guidance indicated that entry and exit from the airplane was accomplished through either of two entry doors, one on each side of the cabin at the front seat positions; the door handles used to open the doors were located on the forward part of the armrests for the front seats. Unlike an automotive type of door handle, they had to be rotated from a “LOCK” position, past a “CLOSE” position, and then aft to a “OPEN” position, so that the door could be pushed open to be able to exit the airplane. Review of photographs also indicated that the mounting positions of both the left and right door handles were located about 3 feet forward of the rear seating position, in close proximity to each of the pilots, and were not accessible to the rear seat passengers unless the passengers reached around the front seats, which the pilots were occupying at the time. No checklist or amplified procedure for the conduct of normal operation was discovered that required the opening of the airplane’s doors before engine shutdown. The manufacturer’s and Federal Aviation Administration guidance also indicated that stopping the engine was the most effective way to ensure the passengers arrived and departed the vicinity of an airplane safely. No medications were found during toxicological testing of the fatally injured passenger that would have contributed to the accident. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger likely unlatched and opened the doors before shutting the engine down and disembarked the passengers without instructions for deplaning.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.