Aviation Crash Map

Cessna 172N N2401E

17 October 2011 · Covington, Louisiana, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 17 October 2011 at about 23:20 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N2401E, operated by Air Reldan Inc, was involved in an accident near Covington, Louisiana, United States. One person was 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.

The record

Date
at 23:20
Classification
Accident
Location
Covington, Louisiana, United States
Nearest airport
Saint Tammany Regional (L31)
Coordinates
30.4450, -89.9889
Aircraft
Cessna 172N
Registration
N2401E
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Air Reldan Inc
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Banner Tow
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Covington → Covington
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
CEN12CA030

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a banner drop, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following a local banner towing flight, the pilot returned to the airport to drop the banner. With the flaps extended 10 degrees, the pilot maneuvered the airplane about 200 feet above the runway and slowed to an airspeed of 60 knots. After attempting to release the banner, the pilot added full engine power and felt a surge or deceleration from the engine. As the pilot reached down and pulled the banner release handle a second time, thinking the banner had not released, the airplane’s left wing and nose dropped. The pilot was able to recover to a level attitude; however, before the descent could be arrested, the airplane impacted the ground and nosed over. The airplane’s left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage during the impact. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Cessna 172 accidents

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20 Aug 2011 Cessna 172M
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27 Feb 2011 Cessna 172N
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All 12,209 records for this type

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13 Apr 2011 Bell 206
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27 May 2011 Grumman G164
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All 170,864 records in United States