Cessna 172 accident near Kitty Hawk, NC
On June 25, 1994, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kitty Hawk, NC. 2 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 25, 1994
- Place
- Kitty Hawk, NC
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.070°N, 75.710°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X01438
NTSB summary
On June 25, 1994, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172, N54920, was substantially damaged following a collision with terrain during a go-around attempt at the First Flight Airport in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The private pilot and his passenger both received serious injuries in the accident. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and a visual flight rules flight plan was in effect at the time of the accident. The flight departed North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina about 1230. According to witnesses, the aircraft landed on runway 20. The aircraft veered sharply to the left and then to the right. The aircraft attempted a go-around, stalled, and impacted the terrain on the right side of the runway. The pilot and his wife, also a private pilot, stated that as the airplane descended below the tops of the trees that bound the runway edge, the airplane developed a rapid sink rate. Winds were from 220 degrees at 20 knots with gusts to 25 and 35 knots. The airplane bounced, and a go-around was initiated. Subsequently, the pilot lost control of the airplane and it mushed into the trees in a left wing low attitude. The pilot commented that both he and his wife learned to fly at a coastal airport with persistent crosswinds. However, he said, he failed to account for the trees bounding the runway.
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER COMPENSATION FOR THE WIND CONDITIONS, HIS IMPROPER RECOVERY FROM A BOUNCED LANDING, AND THE INADVERTENT STALL. FACTORS WERE THE WIND CONDITIONS AND THE TREES THAT BOUNDED THE RUNWAY.
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Browse: North Carolina · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.