Cessna 172S accident near Lutz, FL
On June 4, 2002, a Cessna 172S (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lutz, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 4, 2002
- Place
- Lutz, FL
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 28.127°N, 82.525°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020611X00849
Official records · MIA02FA104
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - Radar Plots: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC 3 - USAF Radar Data for N942SP: Document (CSV), on ntsb.gov
- Air Traffic Control Information: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 4, 2002, about 0823 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N942SP, registered to Helicopters & Airplanes, Inc., collided with trees then the ground near Lutz, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal, local flight. The airplane was destroyed by impact and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight originated about 0709 from Vandenberg Airport, Tampa, Florida. The pilot was observed taxiing the airplane to runway 36 at the Vandenberg Airport, and one witness located on the airport reported the pilot did not perform an engine run-up before takeoff but he "gunned the throttle two times and took off at 0710 am." Another witness on the airport reported hearing the pilot run up the engine abruptly several times before observing the pilot taxi onto runway 36. An individual who was working at a fixed-base operator (FBO) at the Vandenberg airport reported that on the day of the accident sometime after 0730 hours, Tampa Approach Control contacted the FBO and asked for someone there to attempt to contact the pilot on the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). She reported making repeated broadcasts on the CTAF for the accident pilot, but he did not respond. According to a chronological sequence of events prepared by the air traffic manager of the Tampa International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower, at approximately 0716, a radar target associated with the accident airplane was noted orbiting at 2,000 feet north-northeast of the Ta
Probable cause
The suicidal act by the pilot resulting in the in-flight collision with trees then the ground. A contributing factor in the accident was the pilot's depression. Findings in the investigation were the pilot's overdose of zolpidem and citalopram before the accident flight departed, and his intentional operation of the airplane while impaired by alcohol.
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Browse: Florida · 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.
