Cessna 172 accident near Riegelwood, NC
On September 11, 2015, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Riegelwood, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 11, 2015
- Place
- Riegelwood, NC
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.343°N, 78.303°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150912X71749
Official records · ERA15FA351
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 11, 2015, about 1510 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N52445, collided with terrain near Riegelwood, North Carolina. The non-certificated pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was privately owned and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions existed along the route of flight around the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from a private grass airstrip in Bolton, North Carolina, at 1500 with a destination of Henderson Field Airport (ACZ), Wallace, North Carolina. According to the owner of the departure airstrip, a mechanic/pilot and the accident pilot arrived from ACZ to pick up his airplane for repairs. After they landed, he recalled that his mechanic exited the accident airplane from the right seat. The mechanic/pilot then entered his airplane and prepared it for departure. The owner of the private airstrip then watched as the mechanic/pilot departed in his airplane first, followed by the accident airplane. He also noted that the accident airplane sounded "fine" as it departed, and noted that after takeoff it turned to the left and did not follow his airplane. About 45 minutes later, after the mechanic/pilot landed at ACZ, he called the private airstrip owner and asked if the accident pilot had departed. The airstrip owner said that he departed "right after you." The owner of the airstrip went on to say that the mechanic/pilot told him he was "going back up" in an attempt to find his fri
Probable cause
The noncertificated pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
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Browse: North Carolina · 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.
