I saw this happen

[Weasil]

CHI03FA150
HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 7, 2003, at 1031 central daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N13474, operated by Illinois Aviation Academy, was destroyed by impact and post impact fire when it collided with the terrain while taking off on runway 28 (4,751 feet by 75 feet, asphalt), at Dupage Airport, West Chicago, Illinois. Visual Meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The solo instructional flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The student pilot was seriously injured. The student pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings at the time of the accident. The accident occurred on the third takeoff.

The airplane departed for a dual instructional flight in the traffic pattern about 0930. On board at the time were the student pilot and his instructor. The student pilot was simulating soft-field landings on runways 20R and 20L. The instructor radioed the tower after the second landing and requested runway 28 for more favorable wind conditions. The student pilot conducted a third soft-field takeoff and landing. The flight instructor subsequently exited the aircraft. The student pilot then conducted two more soft-field takeoffs and landings. Following his second landing the solo student noticed the winds had shifted to the south. On the final take-off the student utilized ten degrees of flaps and applied backpressure to keep the weight off the nose landing gear. The student then leveled the airplane in ground effect and the airplane drifted to the right of the centerline. The student applied a crosswind correction and heard the right main landing gear strike an object. The student pitched up the nose of the airplane and subsequently lost control of the airplane.

The pilot of an airplane holding short of runway 33 for takeoff reported seeing the accident airplane at a very low altitude over the airport in a 45 degree nose high attitude. According to the witness the airplane slowed and rolled to the left, subsequently impacting terrain, left wingtip first, and cartwheeled to a stop. The witness noted that the accident airplane caught fire several moments after it came to a stop.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a student pilot certificate and a second-class medical certificate, which was issued on October 31, 2002. The last medical certificate contained the restriction, "Must wear corrective lenses."

The pilot's logbook showed the pilot had 109 hours of total flight time and 6 hours of pilot in command time. The pilot also had received a 90-day solo endorsement from his flight instructor on April 22, 2003.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was a Cessna 172M, serial number 17262777. The last annual inspection was performed on July 2, 2002, at a tachometer time of 6,263 hours.

The engine was a 150 horsepower Lycoming O-320-E2D, serial number L-36096-27A. A 100-hour inspection was completed on the engine on May 22, 2003, at a tachometer time of 7,122.2 hours. An engine logbook entry showed an oil change was completed on June 5, 2003, at a tachometer time of 7,162 hours.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, N13474, was owned by Flying W Leasing. The airplane was being operated by Illinois Aviation Academy Inc.

WEATHER INFORMATION

A weather observation station, located at the accident site, recorded the weather as:

Time: 0953
Wind: 270 degrees magnetic at 6 knots
Visibility: 10 statute miles
Sky Condition: Sky Clear
Temperature: 19 degrees Celsius
Dew Point: 13 degrees Celsius
Pressure: 29.81 inches of mercury

Time: 1053
Wind: 200 degrees magnetic at 5 knots
Visibility: 10 statute miles
Sky Condition: Few Clouds at 3,300 feet above ground level
Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius
Dew Point: 13 degrees Celsius
Pressure: 29.80 inches of mercury

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) on-scene investigation began on June 7, 2003.

The main wreckage was located on runway 28, about 60 feet east of runway 20R. The initial impact mark was located to the right side of runway 28.

The general path of the ground scarring was on a magnetic heading of about 200 degrees. The main wreckage came to a rest on a magnetic heading of about 280 degrees. Several impact marks were located between the initial impact mark and the location of the main wreckage.

The fuselage from the engine firewall to the tail was consumed by fire. Both wings sustained extensive fire damage and remained attached to the fuselage. The left wing of the aircraft was bent aft 90 degrees. The left flap and aileron were burned away and the right flap and aileron remained attached to the wing. The rudder, vertical stabilizer, elevator and horizontal stabilizer remained intact. Aileron, elevator, and rudder flight control continuity was established from the flight control surfaces and/or bellcranks to the cockpit.

The fire destroyed all cockpit instrumentation, the fuel selector, and all of the engine controls.

The engine sustained substantial impact and fire damage. It was remained partially connected to the firewall, although the engine mounts were extensively bent. The engine cowling remained mostly intact but did sustain substantial impact and fire damage.

The propeller was attached to the engine with the spinner still intact with substantial impact damage. Both propeller blades were bent aft and twisted.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The pilot sustained serious injuries and was taken to the hospital by emergency personnel.

The pilot had a broken tibia and facial injuries.

ADDITIONAL DATA/ INFORMATION

The FAA was a party to the investigation.

 

[avbug]

Okay. It sounds like a typical aircraft accident, if there be such a thing.

But you posted it, and you announced it by stating that you saw it. Anybody can read the statistics or the preliminary report. What did you see, and more importantly, how did it affect you? You didn't post this simply because the event occured, did you?

You're feeling something right now, and it's eating at you. Share it, get it out in the open, take advantage of the interaction. More than a few pilots here have been invovled with, or whitnessed an event, or lost friends in one. You're not the only one.

Speak.

 

[105viking]

"The pilot's logbook showed the pilot had 109 hours of total flight time and 6 hours of pilot in command time."

 

[Timebuilder]

I noticed the ratio of TT to PIC time also.

 

[Mogus]

Another case of a young instructor taking advantage of a filthy-rich kid eager to fly???

 

[WrightAvia]

Thus the metric system did not really catch on in the States, unless you count the increasing popularity of the nine-millimeter bullet.

-Dave Barry

Dave Barry should move to Mexico, where it is illegal for civilians to possess firearms chambered in military calibers. They have no crime there, the police are not corrupt, nor are the politicians and the water and air are clean.

 

[Timebuilder]

You really had me going for a minute. I'm sitting here asking myself if there is another Mexico that I don't know about!!!

 

[WrightAvia]

Hahahaha

 

[Weasil]

There are several things which stand out in this accident report. I believe there is a lot of value for flight instructors to read about things like this so they can learn from them.

There is another thread running at the moment regarding an accident in Hickory NC (again a student doing touch and goes). Several instructors made comments regarding what "may" have been unsafe about that operation and were shot down by other people.

Is there any requirement to teach a student pilot touch and goes? No there isn't. There certainly is no requirement to teach soft field landings until the pre-solo cross country phase.

What are the benefits of doing this as opposed to full stop landings? I don't know but what I do know is this.... 100% of the accidents at my company in the last 12 months occured during the takeoff or landing phase of flight. It seems to me that as instructors we should always be teaching students to be as cautious/conservative as possible.

The only solo landing requirement listed in part 61 in fact is to do 3 full stop landings. And why do you think recent experience requirements require you to do your landings to a full stop if in a tailwheel aircraft or at night? Could it be because the full stop portion is considered more challenging then merely doing a crash and go...? Food for thought.

Here's what else stands out to me, the significantly high Total Time for a student pilot. The fact that the student pilot says the winds shifted to the south ( I assure you they didn't, I was landing on rwy 33 at the same time).


What about stalls? Do you teach your private pilots to do complete stalls or just imminent stalls (both are required by regulation but only one is required by the private PTS). Do you take time to also teach them what pitch attitudes to avoid?

For Example, the pilot in this case reacted to a right drift off the rwy and a wheel striking "something" by pitching up to "45 degrees" and applying left rudder to correct for wind drift. We can all see what this resulted in. At 100 feet agl it is more important to drill into a student the importance of never doing either of this things, because there is NO altitude to recover from a stall/ incipient spin.

Here's the other things which raised red flags, the Fact finding appears to imply that this student was soloed by a different instructor and had received a 90 day from the new instructor. As a flight instructor you might want to ask yourself, what training would I do with somebody else's student before updating their solo endorsement? (Please keep in mind that I"m not assuming something was done wrong in this situation, just food for thought).

 

[105viking]

I noticed the ratio of TT to PIC time also.

ratio aside, i've instructed before, and i can remember students who had 100+ hours of dual, and were nowhere near being a private pilot. infact, i have never been so scared as the first lesson i had with one.

it seems like they're always the crazy ones, wearing AF flight suits to solo the C-150, and carrying a huge set of binoculars around their necks to read the names of water towers when lost.

there is nothing like having to break it to somebody, that they just will never be able to be a pilot.