Cessna 172 accident near Danbury, CT

On July 30, 2017, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Danbury, CT. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

July 30, 2017

Place

Danbury, CT

Aircraft

Cessna 172 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

41.368°N, 73.493°W

NTSB ID

20170731X62530

Official records · ERA17LA261

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

Air traffic control records

• Controller Statements: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

On July 30, 2017, about 1025 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N612DF, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR), Danbury, Connecticut. The pilot died from his injuries 4 days after the accident, and the two passengers received serious injuries. The airplane was owned by a private company and was being operated by Arrow Aviation LLC as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which was originating at the time of the accident.The rear-seat passenger was a certificated pilot with about 1,500 hours of flight experience. He stated that, when the airplane was cleared for takeoff, the pilot taxied to the runway and applied what sounded like full engine power. The rear-seat passenger could not see the instruments or flight controls from where he was seated. After a short ground roll, the airplane took off, but from what he could see out the side window, it seemed that the airplane was not gaining altitude normally. Less than 1 minute later, the pilot stated, "we're going in." According to an air traffic controller at DXR, the airplane lost altitude after takeoff while still over runway 26, a 4,422-ft-long runway. He then observed it "appearing to correct" as it had assumed a more nose-up attitude. It then began a left roll, followed by a "full nose up attitude, rolling to the left," before it descended and impacted the ground. Another witness, who was in a dog park near the accident site, stated that

Probable cause

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane above its maximum gross weight, which likely reduced its takeoff performance.

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Browse: Connecticut · 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.