Cessna 172M N9679H
27 September 2014 · Lancaster, New York, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 27 September 2014 at about 14:20 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N9679H, operated by Western New York Flying Club Inc, was involved in an accident near Lancaster, New York, United States. 4 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lancaster, New York, United States
- Nearest airport
- Buffalo-Lancaster Rgnl (BQR)
- Coordinates
- 42.8983, -78.5806
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M
- Registration
- N9679H
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1975
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Western New York Flying Club Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lancaster → Lancaster
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA14FA459
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain an adequate visual lookout for known traffic in the fly-in event traffic pattern, which resulted in a midair collision.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The accident airplanes, a Cessna and an experimental amateur-built Searey, were two of several airplanes participating in a volunteer event designed to provide the opportunity for young people to fly in a general aviation airplane. A route of flight for the event was established and briefed, and the pilots were instructed to make position reports over the airport's common traffic advisory frequency at certain landmarks along the route of flight; however, no procedures were in place to account for the disparate operating characteristics and speeds of the aircraft participating in the event. Radar and GPS data showed that the Cessna overtook and descended to the altitude of the Searey as the Searey climbed slowly. During the last moments before impact, both airplanes were depicted at the same altitude and in close lateral proximity. The Searey pilot was unaware that his airplane had collided with the Cessna, but upon experiencing control difficulty, performed a forced landing to an area of thick vegetation. The Searey was substantially damaged during the landing. Immediately after the collision, the Cessna entered a descending spiral to ground contact. A performance radar and cockpit visibility study determined that the Searey would have remained a relatively small and stationary object in the Cessna's windscreen, appearing below the horizon and just above the engine cowling, for several minutes before the impact. The study also determined that the Searey may have been difficult to distinguish against the background of terrain. Additionally, since the airplanes were on a converging course, the Searey would have presented little relative motion to the other pilot, making detection more difficult. The Cessna would not have been visible to the Searey pilot because it approached from an area that was obstructed by the airplane's structure.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172M | N9679H | Western New York Flying Club Inc | Destroyed |
| Kevin D'angelo SEAREY | N89KD | Fly Away Inc | Substantial |
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 2014 | Cessna 172S | Immokalee, Florida, United States | Rexair Sales & Leasing LLC | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2014 | Cessna 172P | Hagerstown, Maryland, United States | Civil Air Patrol Inc | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 2014 | Cessna 172 | Selkirk, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Apr 2014 | Cessna 172I | Huntsville, Alabama, United States | Redstone Arsenal Flying Activity, BLDG 4828 | No injuries | - |
| 3 Nov 2014 | Cessna 172M | Everglades City, Florida, United States | Pilot Training Center LLC | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2014 | Cessna 172N | Premana Lecco, Italy | Aero Club Como | Fatal | 3 |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Sep 2014 | Schleicher ASW 19B | Avoca, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2014 | Piper PA-46-500TP | White Plains, New York, United States | Rockefeller Richard | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Jun 2014 | Columbia LC41 550FG | East Patchogue, New York, United States | Self-Wing Co | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 Jul 2014 | Cessna 150M | Waterloo, New York, United States | BUX Aviation LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 2014 | Cessna 182F | Gansevoort, New York, United States | Saratoga Skydive | Fatal | 2 |
| 4 May 2014 | Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BK 117 | Hamburg, New York, United States | Mercy Flight Inc | No injuries | - |