Cessna 172P N55479

Summary

On 25 October 2009 at about 23:10 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N55479, operated by Sky Training LLC, was involved in an accident near Bennington, Vermont, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 October 2009 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Bennington, Vermont, United States

Nearest airport

William H. Morse State (DDH)

Coordinates

42.8931, -73.2639

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N55479

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Sky Training LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Milford → West Milford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA10FA029

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain during a night approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s non-standard traffic pattern over higher terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot entered the traffic pattern at night and was observed flying in a right-hand traffic pattern to runway 13. The Airport/Facility Directory did not direct right-hand traffic for runway 13. Witnesses observed the pilot having difficulty landing the airplane; he was flying too high on final approach and performed at least two go-arounds. The airplane was last observed with its navigation lights illuminated on the base leg as the airplane impacted trees and terrain. Two witnesses stated that the engine was running at the time of impact. The wreckage came to rest on wooded terrain, at an elevation of about 1,082 feet, or about 250 feet above the airport's elevation. If the pilot had flown the same altitude on a left-hand pattern to runway 13, at the same point in the pattern where the accident occurred, the airplane would have cleared the terrain by about 300 feet. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies. Inspection of the pilot’s logbook showed no evidence that he had previously flown approaches at the airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.