Cessna 172A accident near Lebanon, OH
On October 20, 1996, a Cessna 172A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lebanon, OH. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 20, 1996
- Place
- Lebanon, OH
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.420°N, 84.210°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06906
NTSB summary
On October 20, 1996, at 1327 eastern daylight time, N9890T, a Cessna 172A, performing a glider tow plane mission, registered to Lanes Lebanon Air Services, was destroyed when it collided with terrain after takeoff from the Lebanon Airport, Lebanon, Ohio. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated in Lebanon, at 1320. According to the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) in the glider, the purpose of the flight was to demonstrate "Tow rope release failure and land under tow." In a written statement, the CFI stated that after liftoff of both the tow plane and glider, they headed to the northeast. In a telephone interview with the CFI, he stated that he had flown four prior flights successfully that day with other tow airplane pilots. He said he had flown with the tow pilot on other occasions and the standard departure was a left turn, but that day the tow pilot made a right turn, followed by a steep left turn. The CFI said that neither the tow airplane nor the glider was equipped with a radio; therefore, he told the student to follow the tow airplane. He said that the tow pilot took off with 20 degrees of flaps, rather than 10 degrees of flaps, which was not the normal procedure. He also stated that the tow airplane made steep turns at a low altitude. He also stated that prior to the flight, the tow rope had to be retied due to frays, and the pilot's had was shaking "excessively." The CFI said that he had seen t
Probable cause
improper aircraft handling by the tow pilot and/or the glider pilots, which allowed the tow plane and glider to get out of position with one another; and failure of the aircrews (in both aircraft) to ensure a timely release of the glider tow rope.
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Browse: Ohio · 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.
