Cessna 172 N697FL

Summary

On 4 August 2023 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N697FL, operated by Aeroflyin Corp, was involved in an accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 died, 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

4 August 2023 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

North Perry (HWO)

Coordinates

25.9996, -80.2337

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N697FL

Category

Airplane

Year built

1984

Engines

1

Operator

Aeroflyin Corp

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23FA323

2 people died.

The flight instructor’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent rapid descent into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and two passengers were departing for a local flight when the accident occurred. Airport security video showed that shortly after the takeoff roll the airplane rotated and lifted off normally, but the airplane’s pitch rapidly increased during the initial climb, which continued to an altitude of about 125 ft. The airplane then began a roll to the left that quickly developed into a steep descent to impact with the flat terrain on airport property. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed that the propeller blades exhibited damage signatures indicative of engine power during impact. The cockpit front seat rails and their associated seat frame latches displayed no anomalies or evidence of aft seat slippage that would account for the high pitch angle during initial climb, and the weight and balance was within limits. The examination did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the flight controls or other airframe components that would preclude normal operation. The surviving passenger could not recall any details about the flight, and there was no onboard recorded electronic data available for review. A video study was performed using the security video footage and concluded that during takeoff and initial climb, there was a large wing angle of attack (AOA) preceding a bank to the left. Immediately before the left bank, the AOA was estimated to be 14.5°. Given this information, is likely that during the initial climb, the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack, which resulted in a power-on aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control at an altitude that was too low to recover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.