Cessna 172N N4752D

Summary

On 2 June 1997 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N4752D was involved in an accident near Comerio. 4 people were on board and 3 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 June 1997 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Comerio

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N4752D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Juan → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA97FA176

3 people died.

the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in his failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from obstructions on rising terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses saw the airplane flying at low altitude and turn into rising terrain. According to witness statements, the airplane was seen performing a '360 degree turn in a clockwise direction...in a straight and level attitude,' heading toward rising terrain; it then 'hit' a palm tree and crashed into a private residence. The terrain was rising from an estimated elevation of about 660 feet mean sea level (msl) at the lowest point. The elevation at the crash site was about 1,815 feet msl, and the top of the rising terrain was about 3,630 feet msl. Several witnesses, who had reached the crash site, said the airplane came to rest in a house, but at first, there was no fire. The passenger in the left rear seat was the first to be removed. The other three occupants were still in the wreckage when a fire erupted. According to the witnesses, the fire started about 25 to 30 minutes after the accident. The fire was too intense to remove any of the other victims. There was no injures to ground personnel. Control continuity was established to all flight controls. Disassembly of the engine did not reveal any discrepancies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.