Cessna 172 accident near Brevard, NC
On June 16, 2022, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Brevard, NC. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 16, 2022
- Place
- Brevard, NC
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.178°N, 82.826°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220620105281
Official records · ERA22LA274
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On June 16, 2022, about 1745 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N5064H, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Brevard, North Carolina. The pilot and the two passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the airplane was flying over a camp so that a passenger could drop candy from the airplane. The pilot stated that the airplane was “a couple hundred feet” above the trees in slow flight. The next thing that the pilot remembered was waking up in a hospital. According to one of the passengers, after the candy drop, the airplane flew around the camp so that photographs could be taken. The passenger stated that the airplane was descending and that he made a comment to the pilot about getting close to the treetops and needing to apply power and pull up. The pilot stated that the pilot said something similar to, “I’m working on it.” The passenger recalled that the airplane hit some trees and that he woke up next to the airplane on the ground. He also stated the engine was operating normally. A GoPro video camera was found at the accident site and was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board’s Vehicle Recorders Division, Washington, DC, for download. The camera contained multiple short videos and still pictures of the accident flight. The 8-minute 42-second stitch of the accident image sequence showed the airplane maneuvering at a low altitude and high bank angles. The airplane made multiple passes over a clearing in the tree canopy, and
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude while maneuvering the airplane at a low altitude, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.
More accidents in NC
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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.
