Cessna 172N N734CB

Summary

On 28 January 2004 at about 17:20 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N734CB, operated by Avcenter, Inc., was involved in an accident near Rigby, Idaho, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

28 January 2004 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Rigby, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.6303, -111.9272

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N734CB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Avcenter, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rexburg → Pocatello

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA04LA038

2 people were seriously injured.

The flight instructor's failure to follow procedures, i.e., operating the non-icing certified aircraft in known icing conditions contrary to the pilot operators handbook which resulted in ice accretion and ultimately a stall and loss of control in flight. Contributing factors were the icing conditions and degraded aircraft performance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and non-instrument rated private pilot departed Pocatello, Idaho, on an instrument trainer for the private pilot. The instructor had filed an IFR flight plan to Rexburg, Idaho, and acknowledged an awareness of an AIRMET advising of occasional moderate rime to mixed icing-in-clouds below 16,000 feet. En route to Rexburg the aircraft entered a holding pattern at Idaho Falls, Idaho, during which it picked up what the private pilot described as "light" ice and the instructor characterized as a "trace" during the hold. Both pilots reported removing ice from the aircraft following the landing at Rexburg. The student obtained an updated weather brief where icing was again discussed and he filed an IFR flight plan from Rexburg back to Pocatello. The student and instructor then departed Rexburg for Pocatello. During the climb the aircraft began picking up ice and the instructor initially attempted to divert to Idaho Falls but upon breaking out of the clouds and noting the Rigby, Idaho, airport passing abeam, changed his intended landing site to Rigby. During the student's course reversal back toward Rigby the aircraft began descending rapidly eventually stalling prior to ground impact in a snow-covered agricultural field. The Cessna 172N was not equipped with any anti-icing or de-icing equipment with the exception of carburetor heat. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) for the aircraft cautions that "Flight into known icing conditions is prohibited" both as a placard within the aircraft and as a flight limitation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.