Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172 near Palmer, AK — 2016-10-29

Final reportANC17FA003
Sign in to save
Date
2016-10-29
Location
Palmer, AK, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 172
Registration
N6353E
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The student pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a steep climbing turn following a touch-and-go landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low of an altitude to recover.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot was flying the airplane over a remote river valley as his friends and relatives were driving their all-terrain vehicles in the valley. The pilot executed a touch-and-go landing on a gravel bar, and, just after takeoff, the airplane entered a steep climb and turned to the left. During the left turn, the wings of the airplane rolled perpendicular to the ground, and it descended in a near-vertical, nose-down attitude to ground impact. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The flight profile was consistent with the pilot exceeding the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low to allow for recovery.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the takeoff after the touch-and-go landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

Related mishaps