Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172 near Brevard, NC — 2022-06-16

Final reportERA22LA274
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Date
2022-06-16
Location
Brevard, NC, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 172
Registration
N5064H
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude while maneuvering the airplane at a low altitude, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and two passengers were flying at low altitudes over a camp and dropping candy from the airplane. The pilot recalled that the airplane was “a couple hundred feet” above the trees in slow flight; the next thing that the pilot remembered was waking up in a hospital. During the flight, one of the passengers commented to the pilot that the airplane was getting close to the treetops and that he needed to apply power and pull up. The pilot stated something similar to, “I’m working on it.” The passenger recalled that the airplane hit trees and that he woke up next to the airplane. He also stated that the engine was operating normally. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. An onboard image recording from a camera found at the accident site revealed that the airplane was maneuvering at a low altitude and high bank angles until the airplane impacted terrain. Given the passenger’s recollections and the onboard image recording evidence, the pilot allowed the airplane to sink below the level of the treetops while conducting high bank angles at a low altitude.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided low altitude maneuvers near treetops.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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