Cessna 172 Safety Record

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at an excessive bank angle at a low altitude, which resulted in an accelerated stall and spin with insufficient altitude for a recovery.

The student pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the initial climb, resulting in a runway excursion and substantial damage to the engine firewall. The student pilot's lack of overall flying experience was a factor.

The flight instructor’s decision to conduct a night training flight in mountainous terrain without conducting or allowing the student to conduct appropriate preflight planning and his lack of situational awareness of the surrounding terrain altitude, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

The student pilot's failure to compensate for gusting wind conditions during the flare, and the flight instructor's failure to intervene in a timely manner, resulting in a loss of airplane control and hard landing off of the runway.

The separation of a section of a propeller blade due to fatigue cracking. Contributing to the accident was the operator’s failure to comply with the manufacturer’s maintenance and inspection instructions.

The student pilots improper landing flare which resulted in a hard landing and loss of aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's delayed remedial actions.

The failure of the seat track mechanism, which led the pilot to inadvertently apply aft yoke and lift his feet off the rudder pedals and resulted in a loss of directional control during takeoff.

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action and his subsequent loss of directional control during landing on a wet runway for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.

The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance with trees and terrain.

The student pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to land due to the deteriorating weather conditions.

The pilot's decision to takeoff from a field which resulted in a collision with trees and the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to correctly identify the destination airport and runway, which resulted in an off-airport landing in the field.

A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while returning to the airport immediately after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and entering an aerodynamic stall during the turn. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the airplane being over maximum gross weight and its subsequent decrease in takeoff climb performance.

The partial loss of engine power due to the exhaust valve rocker retaining stud backing out of the cylinder head, which resulted in the exhaust valve being stuck in the closed position. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to configure the airplane and fly it in a manner that would allow him to make the emergency landing in the field rather than overfly it, and the pilot’s failure to have the engine overhauled according to the recommended overhaul interval.