Cessna 172H accident near Weyers Cave, VA
On December 31, 2010, a Cessna 172H (airplane) was involved in an accident near Weyers Cave, VA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 31, 2010
- Place
- Weyers Cave, VA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.272°N, 78.890°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110102X35752
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 31, 2010, about 1426 eastern standard time, a Eurocopter EC-135-P2 helicopter, N312PH, operated by PHI Inc., as AirCare 5, and a Cessna 172H, N2876L, collided in midair approximately 1/2 mile northwest of the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD), Weyers Cave, Virginia. The airplane departed controlled flight after the right wing separated, and was destroyed by impact forces at ground contact. The helicopter sustained minor damage and landed safely at SHD. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger on board the airplane were fatally injured. The certificated commercial pilot and two medical flight crewmembers on board the helicopter were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the airplane's local personal flight that originated from SHD, at 1402, and for the helicopter’s positioning flight that originated from the University of Virginia Medical Center (8VA5), Charlottesville, Virginia, about 1410. A company flight plan was filed for the helicopter positioning flight, and no flight plan was filed for the airplane flight. Both flights were conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. All three crewmembers aboard the helicopter were interviewed at the scene, and their statements were consistent throughout. They described departing 8VA5 after completing a patient drop-off, crossing "the ridgeline" at 4,500 feet, and approaching SHD from the east. They each described monitoring the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF), and how the announced traffic, two aircraft established in a lef
Probable cause
The inherent limitations of the see-and-avoid concept, which made it difficult for the helicopter pilot to see the airplane before the collision. Contributing to the accident was the airplane pilot’s non-standard entry to the airport traffic pattern, which, contrary to published Federal Aviation Administration guidance, was conducted 500 feet below the airport's published traffic pattern altitude
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
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Browse: Virginia · 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.
