Cessna 172M Safety Record

The student pilot's inadequate flare and failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.

The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to continue flight into deteriorating weather conditions at night and his failure to divert in a timely manner, which resulted in an off-airport precautionary landing and subsequent substantial damage to the airplane.

The operation of an airplane by a non-certificated pilot. Contributing to the accident was his failure to maintain airspeed following a total loss of engine power at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Also contributing was the pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

The airplane’s loss of lift shortly after picking up a banner for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examinations revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot's failure to retract the wing flaps before attempting to take off, due to his lack of familiarity with the airplane make and model, which prevented the airplane from maintaining adequate altitude for takeoff.

The pilot's improper turn down an airport access road while attempting to taxi to a runway. Contributing to the accident was the airport management's failure to install proper signage indicating that an airport access road was prohibited to aircraft.

The pilot's failure to set the correct flap position before takeoff and his inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the operation of the airplane over the maximum allowable gross weight, both of which led to an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude at which to recover.

Loss of engine power during climb due to a failure of the No. 2 piston assembly; the reason for the failure could not be determined because of the extent of damage to the piston assembly.

The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff after recognizing that the airplane was not accelerating properly, which led to an aerodynamic stall. The reason for the lack of acceleration could not be determined because postaccident examinations did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot’s decision to attempt flight into approaching adverse weather, which led to his low-level flight, encounter with mountain obscuration and moderate turbulence, and his subsequent loss of airplane control. Contributing to the severity of the pilot’s injuries was the failure of the seat restraint assembly.

The loss of engine power during initial climb for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot’s spatial disorientation during the instrument approach in night, instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the airplane descending below decision height and impacting terrain outside the lateral limits of the localizer. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent instrument flight experience.