Cessna 172S accident near Tallahassee, FL

On November 5, 2009, a Cessna 172S (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tallahassee, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

November 5, 2009

Place

Tallahassee, FL

Aircraft

Cessna 172S · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

30.396°N, 84.350°W

NTSB ID

20091105X61707

Official records · ERA10FA048

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 4, 2009, about 1920 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, N5194X, operated by Eagle Aircraft, was destroyed after collision with wooded terrain and a post crash fire following a rapid descent after takeoff from Tallahassee Regional Airport (TLH), Tallahassee, Florida. The certificated flight instructor and the certificated private pilot were fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight that originated at TLH, about 1915. No flight plan was filed for the flight, which was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. A review of radar and voice communication data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the airplane requested and was cleared for "left traffic" pattern work at TLH. The airplane departed runway 36 at TLH, and climbed straight ahead to an altitude of about 600 feet mean sea level (msl) before it began a left turn to the crosswind leg of the pattern. The airplane reached an altitude of 1,000 feet as it turned from the crosswind leg to the downwind leg. During a span of approximately 10 seconds, the last three radar targets showed the airplane at 1,000 feet, 800 feet, and 400 feet respectively, in a left arc that oriented towards the airport. When it began its descent, the airplane was at 1,000 feet, three-fourths of a mile from the runway, and one-half mile from the perimeter fence. The tower controller reported that he was tracking the airplane visually, and noticed that the landing light and position lights were illuminate

Probable cause

The pilots' spatial disorientation during flight in dark conditions, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent into terrain.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.