Cessna 175 N103DL

Summary

On 8 July 2001 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 175 registered N103DL was involved in an accident near Tomahawk, Wisconsin, United States. 3 people were 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.

Date

8 July 2001 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Tomahawk, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

45.4694, -89.7199

Aircraft

Cessna 175

Registration

N103DL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tomahawk → Ham Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01LA200

Nobody was injured.

The inadequate preflight preparation that did not include calculating the density altitude and the pilot not maintaining clearance from the second row of trees on initial climb. Factors include those trees and the high density altitude present at the time of the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with trees during initial climb. The pilot and two passengers were uninjured. The pilot aborted two takeoffs. The pilot indicated, "This time I changed my route to get a longer run (3). I step taxied to the southwest corner of the lake accelerating to the east and departed to the north to maximize the length of my takeoff run. This time I lifted off cleanly with good airspeed. Initially I climbed well, but after a bit my climb rate slowed. At a point several hundred yards from shore I realized I may not clear the trees. I did not feel I had enough room to safely turn the aircraft back, so I elected to maintain my direction and increase my angle of attack little by little to try to clear the trees and keep the aircraft flying. I cleared the first row of trees, but dragged my left float through a tree top at which point the aircraft stalled falling off to the left, striking a tree with my left float. The aircraft slide down this same tree coming to rest at its base." The pilot listed no "mechanical malfunction failure" on his statement. At 2055, density altitude was 3,705 feet above mean sea level. The pilot's safety recommendation was, "Less weight, cooler outside temp, better wind." The pilot stated that he did not perform a density altitude calculation prior the the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.