Cessna 172S accident near Greenbush, ME

On January 4, 2010, a Cessna 172S (airplane) was involved in an accident near Greenbush, ME. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

January 4, 2010

Place

Greenbush, ME

Aircraft

Cessna 172S · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

45.126°N, 68.629°W

NTSB ID

20100104X51148

Official records · ERA10LA105

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

Air traffic control records

• Exceprts From ATC Transcripts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• FSS Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 4, 2010, at 1054 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, N5118J, owned and operated by American King Air Services, Inc., was substantially damaged when it impacted the Penobscot River, near Greenbush, Maine. The certificated commercial pilot was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Goose Bay Airport (CYYR), Goose Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. The flight originated from Bangor International Airport (KBGR), Bangor, Maine, about 1018. The ferry flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the operator intended to ultimately deliver the airplane to a customer in Russia. The airplane was flown uneventfully from Independence, Kansas, to KBGR. An additional fuel tank was installed at KBGR for a flight across the Atlantic Ocean. About 20 minutes after takeoff, the flight was transferred to FAA Boston Center. The pilot contacted Boston Center at 1040, and advised that he was at 6,000 feet mean sea level (msl), climbing to 9,000 feet msl. The controller at Boston Center acknowledged the transmission and provided the local altimeter setting. A few seconds later, the pilot requested to stop the climb at 7,000 feet msl, which the controller approved. About 5 minutes later, the controller queried the pilot and asked if he was going to climb to 7,000 feet msl. The pilot replied, "...I'm down to fifty feet a minute, I'd like to level off a

Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to attempt a transoceanic flight in turbulent, icing conditions, with an overweight airplane that was not approved for moderate turbulence and not equipped with deicing systems. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's personal pressure to return home.

More accidents in ME

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• Cessna 172N, Nov 16, 2012
• Cessna U206F, Sep 14, 2003

Browse: Maine · Cessna aircraft

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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.