Cessna 172 N738CD

Summary

On 8 November 2009 at about 15:40 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N738CD was involved in an accident near Luray, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 November 2009 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Luray, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Luray Caverns (W45)

Coordinates

38.6669, -78.5006

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N738CD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Luray → Luray

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA055

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's premature rotation and liftoff and her subsequent failure to recognize and correct for the influence of ground effect on the airplane's takeoff performance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot/owner used a checklist to conduct a preflight inspection of the airplane and did not note any anomalies. She started the engine, taxied to the fuel dock, and filled both fuel tanks. Her inspection of fuel samples from the two wing drains and the gascolator did not reveal any contaminants. After she conducted the engine run-up she determined that everything was normal with the airplane, then "applied full power" and "rotated [about] 50-52" knots. However, the airplane "did not want to climb," and she reconfirmed that the engine indications were appropriate and that the flaps were retracted. She aborted the takeoff and steered the airplane off the side of the runway in order to avoid the drop-off at the end of the runway. A pilot-rated witness reported that he did not observe an engine run-up and that the airplane became airborne two separate times before the takeoff was aborted. The airplane struck a fence, descended a grassy embankment, and came to rest. No mechanical deficiencies or other anomalies that could account for the accident were detected with the airplane. The airplane manufacturer's normal takeoff procedure specifies that the pilot should lift the nosewheel at 55 knots and climb out at a speed between 70 and 80 knots. The aerodynamic phenomenon known as ground effect likely enabled the airplane to become airborne at a speed less than the manufacturer's specified liftoff speed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.