Cessna 172 accident near Fayetteville, NC
On February 17, 2020, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fayetteville, NC. 4 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 17, 2020
- Place
- Fayetteville, NC
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.894°N, 78.844°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200218X21210
Official records · ERA20LA105
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On February 17, 2020, about 1535 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172M, N5185R, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The flight instructor and three passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to information provided by the operator and witness statements, the purpose of the flight was to orient local community college students with general aviation. The pilot, who was also a flight instructor, was seated in the right cockpit seat. The passengers occupied the other three seats. During the takeoff, the passenger in the left seat was on the flight controls with the instructor. Witnesses watching the takeoff (some of whom were flight instructors), described that as soon as the main wheels left the runway, the airplane pitched up aggressively. The airplane pitched up to a higher-than-normal pitch attitude, stalled, then collided with terrain adjacent to the runway. They also reported that the engine continued to run normally during the accident sequence. The evening of the accident, one of the flight instructors employed by the operator visited the hospital and spoke to the passengers. She reported that one of the rear seat passengers described to her that during the takeoff the flight instructor called out for the passenger to let go; however, the passenger did not relinquish the controls. She further described that she started screaming as the airplane descended toward the ground. In a deposition taken after the accident
Probable cause
The passenger’s excessive control application during the takeoff and the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
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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.
