Cessna 172 N994CP

Summary

On 6 July 2019 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N994CP, operated by Civil Air Patrol Inc, was involved in an accident near Oxford, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 July 2019 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Oxford, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

University-Oxford (UOX)

Coordinates

34.3878, -89.5306

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N994CP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Civil Air Patrol Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus/W Point/Starkville → Oxford

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19FA212

1 person died.

The student pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during a go around with a tailwind, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight and was heard on the common traffic advisory frequency announcing her intention to land at the destination airport. A witness at the airport indicated that the pilot's voice sounded "panicked" and that she did not finish her sentences. The pilot did not respond to a request for the airplane’s location from a helicopter in the area. The witness saw the airplane approach the runway with a tailwind present. Additionally, recorded wind was consistent with a quartering tailwind. The airplane did not touch the runway and about midfield, started to climb at a "steep" angle. The witness indicated that he did not hear any engine anomalies. He stated that the airplane veered toward the golf course and then went "straight down behind the trees." A witness at the golf course first saw the airplane above the trees and stated that it appeared to be "struggling" to maintain airspeed, was nose up, and appeared to be “very close to stalling.” The witness indicated that the airplane then made a hard left turn and lost altitude, struck the ground, and slid to nearby trees. A ground fire subsequently occurred. Postaccident examination of the wreckage and engine revealed migration of molten metal under the No. 4 exhaust valve. However, no preimpact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane were detected. The flap jackscrew did not exhibit any thread extension, which is consistent with retracted flaps. Based on the available information, it is likely that the student pilot did not maintain airplane control during an attempted go-around with a tailwind, and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain during an uncontrolled descent.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.