Cessna 172N accident near Rotan, TX
On June 15, 2018, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rotan, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 15, 2018
- Place
- Rotan, TX
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.912°N, 100.541°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180615X31415
Official records · CEN18FA227
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 15, 2018, at 1538 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N734BS, was destroyed when it impacted power lines and terrain near Rotan, Texas. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Aero Photo as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 aerial photography flight. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Midland Airpark (MDD), Midland, Texas, about 1331 and was destined for Spicewood Airport (88R), Spicewood, Texas. According to information from the operator and data from a Garmin Aera 560 portable GPS device recovered at the accident site, the airplane departed 88R about 1020 to perform aerial photography missions. After completing several missions, the airplane landed at MDD about 1250. The airplane remained at the airport for about 40 minutes and departed about 1331. The airplane flew circling-type maneuvers near Midland, Odessa, and Lubbock, Texas, consistent with the reported photography missions. After the circling maneuver near Lubbock, the airplane traveled southeast on a straight path toward 88R, but the airplane impacted non-electrified power lines that crossed a canyon and subsequently impacted terrain. The final recorded data point, at 1537, was about 3.3 nautical miles northwest of the accident site and showed the airplane's altitude at that time as 2,206 ft mean sea level (msl). According to Google Earth, the terrain elevation at that location was about 2,008 ft msl. PERSONNEL INFORMATIO
Probable cause
The pilot's reckless decision to conduct low-level flight over a canyon, resulting in the airplane's impact with power lines and terrain.
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Browse: Texas · 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.
