Cessna 172S N905CP

Summary

On 5 November 2015 at about 00:45 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N905CP, operated by Civil Air Patrol Inc, was involved in an accident near Alcoa, Tennessee, 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

5 November 2015 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Alcoa, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Mc Ghee Tyson (TYS)

Coordinates

35.8125, -83.9878

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N905CP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Civil Air Patrol Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Alcoa → Alcoa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

GAA16CA052

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to identify the taxiway, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with terrain while turning off the runway at night.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a night flight, the pilot reported that after he landed on the runway, he slowed the airplane to taxi speed, and continued to the taxiway turnoff. The pilot misidentified the taxiway turn and turned off the runway into a grass area between the runway and taxiway. The pilot reported that the grass area had a downslope that led to level ground and he felt a bump from the tail as the airplane transitioned from the downslope to level ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.