Cessna 172E N5410T

Summary

On 22 August 2004 at about 18:35 local time, a Cessna 172E registered N5410T was involved in an accident near Decorah, Iowa, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 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

22 August 2004 at 18:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Decorah, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Decorah Muni (DEH)

Coordinates

43.3542, -91.7667

Aircraft

Cessna 172E

Registration

N5410T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Decorah → Isle

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04FA234

2 people died.

The pilot's intentional operation of the airplane with a defective magneto, his failure to abort the takeoff due to degraded aircraft performance, and his failure to obtain or maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall/spin and subsequent impact with the ground. Contributing factors were the improper installation of the magneto's contact points by unknown entities due to undertorque of the mounting screws which led to the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground about 5 miles north of the departure airport. The pilot received serious injuries and the 2 passengers were fatally injured. The pilot reported that he had no recollection of the flight subsequent to announcing his intention to takeoff on the radio. He made no mention of any discrepancies detected during the pre-flight inspection or the run-up. A witness reported hearing and seeing the accident airplane during taxi, run-up, and takeoff. He stated that the rpm drop during the run-up was very high in comparison to the allowable rpm drop. The witness stated that he saw the takeoff and, based on his experience of operating a similar model airplane, the accident airplane was not accelerating as he would expect. He stated that the sound of the engine was smooth, but that he did not believe that it was developing full power during the takeoff. He further stated that the airplane's acceleration was not fast enough for a normal takeoff. The witness stated that he observed no attempt to stop or slow the airplane. He stated that he observed the airplane rotate twice and then lifted about 3 feet off of the runway before it came back down left wing high and subsequently bounced into the air. He stated that at this point, the airplane was now over the end of the runway. The witness stated that he was alarmed that the airplane was not gaining altitude and he then lost sight of it behind some large trees. He stated that he believed that continued flight would not be possible due to the degraded performance. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the contact points for the left magneto were not opening during rotation of the magneto's input shaft. The mounting screws were able to be turned with minimal effort. The investigation did not reveal when maintenance was last performed on the magneto's points. No other pre-impact discrepencies were found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.