Cessna 172 N893JA

Summary

On 18 August 2018 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N893JA, operated by US Sport Aircraft, was involved in an accident near Addison, Texas, 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

18 August 2018 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Addison, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Addison (ADS)

Coordinates

32.9686, -96.8364

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N893JA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2009

Engines

1

Operator

US Sport Aircraft

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA344

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's improper flap setting for takeoff and subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing was the overgross state of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, shortly after departing on a discovery flight, the airplane began veering left. He applied right rudder and aileron; however, the airplane continued to veer left. He recalled hearing the stall warning horn and stated that he lowered the nose and adjusted the trim, but the airplane continued in a nose-down position and impacted the ground. A video of the accident flight showed the airplane in a high- pitch attitude shortly after takeoff, followed by the left wing dropping and a rapid descent, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Given that the pilot had just taken off, there was insufficient altitude to recover from the stall. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. A postaccident examination did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. The examination revealed a flap setting of 30°. Weight and balance calculations determined that the airplane was loaded about 138 lbs over its maximum gross weight, which, in combination with the flap setting during takeoff, would have adversely affected the airplane’s climb rate. In an attempt to maintain a positive rate of climb, the pilot inadvertently exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack and aerodynamically stalled the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.