Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172M near Fredericksburg, VA — 2013-07-22

Final reportERA13FA330
Sign in to save
Date
2013-07-22
Location
Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Airport
EZF
Aircraft
CESSNA 172M
Registration
N61954
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot's intentional descent into the ground to commit suicide.

NTSB narrative

About 30 minutes before the flight, the pilot reserved the airplane to complete "pattern work." The pilot's fiancée arrived at the airport as the pilot was walking toward the airplane, and, following a brief altercation, the pilot boarded the airplane and took off. About that time, sheriff's deputies arrived at the airport because they had been notified by the pilot's fiancée that she believed the pilot intended to commit suicide. The deputies, fiancée, and flight instructor subsequently observed the airplane maneuver erratically before climbing to an altitude of about 3,000 feet. The airplane then pitched down into a near-vertical descent. The witnesses reported hearing the engine increase to "full" power. The airplane impacted the ground at high speed and then burst into flames. Although the wreckage was significantly fragmented and fire-damaged, no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation were observed. The pilot had been diagnosed with "severe recurrent major depression" about 7 weeks before the accident and was subsequently prescribed an antidepressant and advised to seek counseling. The medical examiner determined that the manner of death was "suicide." Postmortem toxicological testing of the pilot's remains revealed the presence of ethanol; however, the investigation was unable to determine if preflight ethanol ingestion played a role in pilot's decision-making.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen not to take off after fiancée's warning.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

Related mishaps