Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA16LA008
CESSNA 172S — Seville, FL
| Date | October 10, 2015 |
| Location | Seville, FL |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 172S |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 26 |
| Pilot total time | 425 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 340 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1, 2 serious |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Downdraft-Effect on operation - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
What happened
The commercial pilot reported that, during a local flight, he encountered a downdraft while maneuvering the airplane between 300 and 600 ft above ground level at an airspeed about 75 knots. He stated that he attempted to recover, but the airplane continued to sink and subsequently impacted trees and terrain. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal evidence of any mechanical any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
The conditions reported by the closest weather observation facility, located 23 nautical miles away, included scattered towering cumulus clouds and 6-knot winds. Additionally, towering cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds were noted near the airport. Atmospheric modeling data noted the potential for strong low-level thermal activity near the accident site about the time of the accident. Given the weather conditions that prevailed about the time of the accident, it is likely that the airplane encountered a downdraft; given the airplane's altitude and airspeed at the time of the encounter, the pilot had insufficient time to regain control of the airplane before it impacted the ground.