Cessna 177RG N2725V

Summary

On 26 June 2011 at about 20:40 local time, a Cessna 177RG registered N2725V was involved in an accident near St Johns, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 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

26 June 2011 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

St Johns, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

St Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN)

Coordinates

34.5086, -109.3872

Aircraft

Cessna 177RG

Registration

N2725V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St Johns → Mesquite

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA287

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot did not attain and maintain an adequate airspeed during the takeoff initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane arrived at the airport after a 3-hour flight. The pilot serviced the airplane to capacity with fuel and departed about 1 hour later. Turbulent crosswind and high density altitude conditions (9,369 feet) existed at the time of departure. A witness saw the airplane taxi along the 3,400-foot-long departure runway for about 1/3 of its length before beginning to accelerate. The passengers reported that, compared to previous flights, the airplane accelerated slower and took off farther down the runway, as would be expected due to the high density altitude. The pilot reported that the takeoff progressed normally until the airplane reached an altitude of about 200 feet above ground level. At that point, the airplane would no longer climb, and, certain that they would not be able to return to the airport, the pilot attempted to maneuver the airplane for landing in the field ahead. The passengers reported that, once airborne, the airplane rocked from side-to-side, and the stall warning horn operated continuously. The witness observed the airplane in an unusually nose-high attitude throughout the flight until it suddenly descended out of her view. The airplane impacted the ground in a flat attitude, sustaining crush damage in the vertical plane. Although the horizontal stabilizer sustained tree-strike damage, the wings did not; this damage pattern was consistent with the nose-high attitude observed by the witness. The airplane was loaded within its center of gravity envelope and was about 125 pounds below maximum gross weight. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was noted during the postaccident examination of the airframe and engine. Review of recorded engine monitor data revealed that an appropriate level of power was being produced, and all engine parameters were normal. Although the mixture control was found in the full rich position, the pilot recalled that he leaned the mixture during taxi, and the power output determined from the engine monitor data was consistent with an appropriately leaned mixture. The pilot did not recall the extended runway taxi reported by the witness, however, performance calculations indicated that the remaining runway length would still have allowed for takeoff and adequate terrain clearance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.