Aviation Crash Map

Cessna 172 N737NJ

8 September 2019 · Mekoryuk, Alaska, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 8 September 2019 at about 04:15 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N737NJ was involved in an accident near Mekoryuk, Alaska, 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.

The record

Date
at 04:15
Classification
Accident
Location
Mekoryuk, Alaska, United States
Coordinates
59.1296, -161.5695
Aircraft
Cessna 172
Registration
N737NJ
Category
Airplane
Year built
1977
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Bethel → Bethel
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
GAA19CA529

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during takeoff in gusting wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during takeoff from a beach, the airplane lifted off and reached about 10 ft above ground level, but he then "felt something holding [the airplane] down." He lowered the nose to build up airspeed and attempted to climb again, but the airplane was unable to climb due to a downdraft. The pilot was unable to abort the takeoff due to increased airspeed and reduced landing area. The airplane was heading toward a 50- to 60-ft-tall bank, so he decided to "pull up" and attempt to fly over it. The airplane continued for about 3/4 mile, aerodynamically stalled, and then the empennage impacted terrain. The airplane continued about 30 ft, struck a big clump of dirt, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was variable at 27 knots, gusting to 36 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 12,209 records for this type

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All 170,864 records in United States