Cessna 172S N431ME

Summary

On 4 August 2002 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N431ME was involved in an accident near Marietta, Oklahoma, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 2002 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Marietta, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

McGehee Catfish Restaurant Apt (T40)

Coordinates

33.9011, -97.1678

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N431ME

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marietta → Broken Arrow

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA224

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported in his initial statement that the airplane rotated about one-third of the way down the runway. In a subsequent statement he said rotation was delayed until near the end of the runway. After initial takeoff climb, the pilot said the autopilot unexpectedly engaged causing the airplane to enter a climbing turn to the right. After manually overpowering the autopilot, the aircraft stalled and rotated to the left before impacting tree tops and coming to rest in a wings level, nose low attitude. The pilot said that he did not respond to the situation immediately, as he was stunned by what was happening. He also said he didn't observe the autopilot light, and didn't think to disengage the autopilot. The right seat passenger, a commercially rated pilot, said he was certain the aircraft was airborne shortly after crossing a road which bisects the runway approximately one-third of the way down the airstrip. The passenger reported hearing the stall warning sound intermittently for 3 to 4 seconds, stop for 2 to 3 seconds, and then begin sounding continuously. At this point the passenger observed a definitive nose up attitude as he watched the airspeed decrease and the aural stall warning continue for about 8 to 10 seconds before the right wing dropped. He then observed the pilot pull back on the control yoke. The aircraft then drifted to the left before the left wing began impacting trees. The passenger also said he wasn't sure if the pilot had inadvertently engaged the autopilot after takeoff. Post-accident examination of the autopilot system components by an FAA inspector and the autopilot manufacturer did not disclose any evidence of malfunctions or abnormal autopilot operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.