Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172M near Odessa, TX — 2014-12-22

Final reportCEN15FA083
Sign in to save
Date
2014-12-22
Location
Odessa, TX, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 172M
Registration
N9922V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at an excessive bank angle at a low altitude, which resulted in an accelerated stall and spin with insufficient altitude for a recovery.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying an aerial survey flight to look for oil and water pipeline leaks. Three witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying about 400 to 500 ft above ground level, enter a steep left bank, and then dive nose down toward the ground. One witness estimated that the airplane's bank angle was about 80 degrees. Shortly after, witnesses observed smoke and flames coming from the accident site. A witness at the accident site reported that the airplane was engulfed in flames with the airplane's tail in a vertical position and the wings flat on the ground. The leading edge crush angle was consistent with about a 30- to 40-degree nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Three days after the accident, another pilot overflew the accident area and observed a large water leak about 0.3 mile from the accident location. An oilfield worker who provided spill remediation estimated that the water would had to have been leaking for a few days for the leak to get so large. It is likely that the pilot observed the water leak during the accident flight and used an excessive bank angle to maneuver the airplane so that he could more closely observe the leak and that the airplane then experienced an accelerated stall with insufficient altitude for a recovery.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided steep bank turns exceeding 60 degrees.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 18 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents18

Related mishaps