Cessna 172L accident near Tucson, AZ
On September 16, 2001, a Cessna 172L (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tucson, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 16, 2001
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.117°N, 110.917°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010920X01972
NTSB summary
On September 16, 2001, about 0745 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172L single engine airplane, N4312Q, was destroyed during the collision with, and subsequent fire, a residence at Tucson, Arizona. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, received fatal injuries; no one on the ground was injured. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The flight originated at La Cholla Airpark, a private uncontrolled residential airport, about 0715. The accident occurred 5 days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and during the period when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibited general aviation visual flight rule (VFR) flights under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91.139; Emergency Air Traffic Rules. After departure, the airplane was identified by the Tucson Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON). TRACON transmitted on a sector frequency in the blind advising the airplane to return to the point of departure; at that time the airplane's transponder was squawking 1233. There was no response from the airplane, but it subsequently reversed course and the transponder code was changed to 1203. The last altitude observed by TRACON was 3,500 feet msl. According to the Pima County Sheriff's Department report, a sergeant from the sheriff's department observed the airplane flying from the south to the north, and "seemed to be turning directly into the ground. He observed the airplane in a "deep dive," with the nose of
Probable cause
the pilot's controlled descent into a residence for undetermined reasons.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
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- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · 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.
