Cessna 172 N84287

Summary

On 13 August 2019 at about 16:51 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N84287, operated by Brewton Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Jay, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 August 2019 at 16:51

Classification

Accident

Location

Jay, Florida, United States

Coordinates

30.9697, -87.2064

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N84287

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Brewton Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brewton → Pensacola

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA246

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's improper decision to fly over a river at a very low altitude, which resulted in a collision with power lines.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was operating the airplane on a 40-mile repositioning flight. After takeoff, GPS data showed that the pilot flew over a river at a low altitude for several miles, at some points as low as 30 ft above ground level (agl). As the airplane approached a sharp bend in the river, the pilot briefly climbed a few hundred feet, then subsequently performed a left descending turn and descended back down to the river, following it at an altitudes between 100 and 200 ft agl for an additional 1.5 miles. The airplane subsequently struck power lines spanning the river about 60 ft agl, damaging the airplane’s propeller and wings. The airplane subequently impacted a sandbar and the airframe was substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.