Cessna 172 N6257E

Summary

On 26 July 2008 at about 18:15 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N6257E was involved in an accident near Athens, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 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

26 July 2008 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Athens, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Athens (F44)

Coordinates

32.1636, -95.8283

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N6257E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Athens → Liberty

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN08LA129

1 person was seriously injured.

A partial loss of engine power during initial climb due to undetermined reasons, which led to an uncontrolled descent and subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper preflight decision to attempt the flight with a suspected engine problem.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that prior to the accident flight, he told the fixed based operator that the airplane was "slightly off in performance" and the engine had a "tendency" to "build up carbon." On the day of the accident, the pilot fueled the airplane, and after thorough preflight and engine run-up checks that did not disclose any anomalies, he initiated the accident takeoff. The pilot stated that during the climb, there seemed to be a lack of engine power. A witness stated that the airplane "seemed to accelerate very slowly, however the engine sounded fine." The witness also stated that the airplane "continued to try to climb without much luck." The airplane started to descend, and the pilot stated that he attempted to maintain altitude. The pilot further stated that the engine power continued to decrease, and the stall horn sounded just above the tree tops. He attempted to "get the nose up" to expose the belly of the airplane to the obstacles ahead. The airplane impacted the trees and came to rest upright about one-half mile southwest of the airport. It was substantially damaged during the impact sequence. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. The engine was started by investigators without hesitation and ran for several minutes. Maintenance records indicated that a "top overhaul" was conducted on the engine about 2 years prior to the accident, and that the last recorded annual inspection was about 10 years prior to the accident. The pilot did not hold a pilot certificate or current medical certificate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.