Cessna 172P N62800

Summary

On 14 June 1999 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N62800, operated by Wings Aloft, was involved in an accident near Easton, Washington, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 June 1999 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Easton, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Easton State (ESW)

Coordinates

47.3495, -121.2703

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N62800

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Wings Aloft

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ellensburg → Boeing Field

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA99LA084

3 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Factors include the student allowing the aircraft to climb too steeply at too low an airspeed, and the soft/rough terrain on which the aborted takeoff took place.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After landing to the east during a simulated engine-out landing on the turf airstrip, the student was instructed to make a takeoff to the west using soft field techniques. Because the student had never performed an actual or simulated soft field takeoff before, the instructor explained the procedures to her while the aircraft idled at the east end of the runway. The student then initiated the takeoff to the west. During the takeoff roll, the airspeed stabilized around 45 MPH, and the instructor advised the student that as soon as the aircraft lifted off it would accelerate. After liftoff, the student climbed out at a rate that caused the airspeed to remain at 45 MPH, and after passing tree-top level about half way down the 2,640 foot airstrip, the aircraft stopped climbing. At that point the instructor took over and lowered the nose in an attempt to gain airspeed. In order to get the aircraft to accelerate, the instructor had to allow it to drop back toward the runway surface. As it neared the surface, the instructor became unsure whether the aircraft would clear the trees at the west end of the airstrip. He therefore aborted the takeoff and attempted to land on the remaining runway. During that attempt, the aircraft dropped in from about 20 feet above the surface, and after the nose gear bent back, the nose dug into the soft terrain and the aircraft flipped over on its back.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.