Cessna 172M accident near Greenville, ME
On September 17, 2011, a Cessna 172M (airplane) was involved in an accident near Greenville, ME. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 17, 2011
- Place
- Greenville, ME
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 45.452°N, 69.541°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110917X10112
Official records · ERA11FA493
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 17, 2011, about 0813 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N9932V, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering near Greenville, Maine. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed, for the local personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, that departed Greenville Municipal Airport (3B1), Greenville, Maine. On the evening before the accident, the pilot had a conversation with a friend. During the conversation his friend advised him that he had bought some property near the airport and would be clearing away some of the vegetation on the following day. The pilot advised him that he would fly out in the morning and visit him. According to witnesses, on the morning of the accident, the airplane was observed circling at low altitude in a left hand turn about 1 mile southwest of (3B1), with the pilot visibly waving at people on the ground. During the third and last circle, the airplane was observed to pitch nose up, decelerate, then pitch nose down steeply and descend towards the ground. The airplane then rotated to the left with its nose still pointed down, turned approximately 180 degrees from its original direction of travel, then disappeared from view. Moments later the sound of an impact was heard. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He had been i
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while manuevering at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and subsequent impact with terrain.
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Browse: Maine · 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.
