Cessna 172 CFHGQ

Summary

On 25 February 2019 at about 18:50 local time, a Cessna 172 registered CFHGQ was involved in an accident near Bellingham, Washington, United States. 2 people were 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

25 February 2019 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Bellingham, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Bellingham Intl (BLI)

Coordinates

48.7956, -122.5331

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

CFHGQ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Delta → Bellingham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA148

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper crosswind correction during taxi operations in gusting crosswind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while taxiing to the runway for takeoff with the yoke "left and push[ed] in," a wind gust from the right lifted the right wing. The pilot was unable to maintain control and the wind continued to push the airplane to the left off the runway. The airplane subsequently nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated surface observation system reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 030° at 20 knots, gusting to 29 knots. The pilot was turning the airplane right onto runway 34. Based on this information, the calculated crosswind component while taxiing into takeoff position was about 19 knots. The airplane manufacturer reported that the maximum demonstrated crosswind component was 15 knots. The Federal Aviation Administration's Airplane Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-3B, "Taxiing" stated, in part, the following: When taxiing with a quartering headwind, the wing on the upwind side (the side that the wind is coming from) tends to be lifted by the wind unless the aileron control is held in that direction (upwind aileron UP). Moving the aileron into the UP position reduces the effect of the wind striking that wing, thus reducing the lifting action. This control movement also causes the downwind aileron to be placed in the DOWN position, thus a small amount of lift and drag on the downwind wing, further reducing the tendency of the upwind wing to rise.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.