Cessna 172N N738SZ
25 September 1997 · Greenville, South Carolina, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 25 September 1997 at about 23:15 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N738SZ, operated by Mark Christopher, was involved in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Greenville, South Carolina, United States
- Nearest airport
- Greenville Downtown (GMU)
- Coordinates
- 34.8292, -82.3709
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N
- Registration
- N738SZ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Mark Christopher
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- ATL97LA140
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's improper use of the elevator control and delayed liftoff during takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent porpoise, collision with the runway, and collapse of the nose gear as he aborted the takeoff.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated that, the initial takeoff started from the (approach) end of runway 36, and that he had applied full power. At about the midfield point, the airplane lifted off. However, the pilot did not feel there was sufficient power to take off, so he aborted the takeoff. He said he pulled the power all the way back, and the airplane descended nose first, collided the runway nose gear first, and nosed over. A witness stated that during the takeoff roll, the airplane began to porpoise before the nose gear collided with the runway. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem. The pilot did not report experiencing a mechanical problem with the airplane during the attempted takeoff. According to the pilot operation handbook, normal takeoff ground run should have been about 478 feet. The runway was 5393 feet in length.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1997 | Cessna 172P | Fowlerville, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Cessna 172N | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 1997 | Cessna 172M | Athens, Tennessee, United States | Michael B. Guest | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 1997 | Cessna 172N | La Jolla, California, United States | Richard Jones | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Aug 1997 | Cessna 172P | Rockhill, South Carolina, United States | Scott S. Fisher | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1997 | Cessna 172 | Middletown, Ohio, United States | Barbara F. Schmidt | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 1997 | Hughes 269C | Johnston, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1997 | Piper PA-28-160 | Pickens, South Carolina, United States | Chester D. Maynard | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 1997 | Cessna 414A | Anderson, South Carolina, United States | Paul B. Dubinsky | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 May 1997 | Cessna Wren 182G-460 | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 1997 | Piper PA-28-151 | Bennettsville, South Carolina, United States | Richard Sanderson | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1997 | John W Culp KR-2 | Greenwood, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |