Cessna 172 N546A

Summary

On 1 February 2013 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N546A, operated by Southern Illinois University, was involved in an accident near Murphysboro, Illinois, 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.

Date

1 February 2013 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Murphysboro, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Southern Illinois Airport (MDH)

Coordinates

37.7781, -89.2519

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N546A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Southern Illinois University

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carbondale → Carbondale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13CA151

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during the takeoff roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was attempting a soft field takeoff on a paved runway. He advanced the throttle to the full forward position and applied full back pressure on the flight controls to begin the takeoff roll. However, the airplane veered to the left. The pilot tried to counteract the veer by applying right rudder and when that was unsuccessful, elected to reject the takeoff. The airplane’s horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged when the airplane exited the runway and struck a frangible airport sign. Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.