N5243ECessna 172N · 1978

On July 4, 2023, about 1357 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N5243E, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Murrieta, California. The pilot was fatally injured, and the three passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot’s wife reported that they had planned a local scenic flight with their kids. They arrived at the airport about noon and completed one flight with the pilot’s wife and one of their four children. She and her son deplaned, and the other three sons boarded the airplane and subsequently departed on the accident flight. They flew the same route as the first flight and then returned to the departure airport about 1355 for a full-stop landing.

Surveillance video showed the airplane on an approach toward runway 18. The airplane touched down on the runway, rolled for about 1-2 seconds, then departed the runway surface and immediately entered a climb in a nose-high attitude as it drifted left of the runway centerline. After the airplane reached about 60 ft above ground level, it began to settle and subsequently entered a left-wing-low attitude. The airplane rolled inverted and then disappeared from view of the camera behind a building. Approximate flap positions could not be determined due to the resolution of the video.

A witness reported that the airplane’s approach to runway 18 was “squirrely” and the flaps appeared to be fully extended. After the airplane made contact with the runway, about 1,000 ft from the approach end of runway 18, the witness heard the engine power advance and observed the airplane take off again. The airplane then veered off the side of the runway about a 35° angle relative to the runway heading. According to the witness, the airplane was still configured with full flaps as it slowly climbed toward a group of buildings at a high angle of attack. As the airplane neared the group of buildings, its wings rocked back and forth, and the flaps started to retract. The airplane rolled to the left and disappeared behind the building, which was immediately followed by a loud sound. He noted that the engine was operating at high power throughout the climb and no interruptions in power were noted.

The NTSB investigator-in-charge played an audio clip of the airplane’s stall warning horn for two of the passengers. One of the passengers recalled hearing the stall warning horn during landing and possibly during the takeoff and the other passenger did not recall hearing the stall warning horn. During a subsequent interview, the pilot’s wife reported that her son who was seated in the front right seat on the accident flight told her that the airplane landed normally, but during the landing roll he heard a “pop,” and the airplane began to shake. He then observed his father’s demeanor change as he began to panic and then advanced the throttle again.

According to records retrieved from the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot received his private pilot certificate on June 19, 2023. This was the pilot’s first flight following his practical test.

The pilot began his flight training with Riverside Flight Academy on July 21, 2020, in the same airplane make and model as the accident airplane. He flew with a total of 7 different flight instructors at the flight academy totaling about 35 hours of instruction. He started training with Executive Flight Institute, LLC (EFI) on September 19, 2020. He accumulated about 7 hours of flight training between November 2020 and July 2021. The pilot did not accrue any flight time with EFI between August 2021 and August 2022. He subsequently flew about 2 to 6 hours per month from September 2022 until the month of his check ride.

One of the pilot’s instructors reported that the pilot had trouble advancing the yoke to keep the airplane’s nose down during go-arounds. The instructor reported that the pilot had a habit of configuring the airplane with excessive nose-up trim for landing.

According to documents provided by the pilot’s designated pilot examiner (DPE), they performed multiple takeoffs and landings that included a normal takeoff and landing, a full-stop followed by short-field and soft-field takeoffs and landings, a slip, and a go-around at F70. The DPE’s notes showed that the pilot completed each task satisfactory.

The airplane came to rest inverted in an industrial complex about 0.3 nm on a heading of about 125° magnetic from the approach end of runway 18. All major structural components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The airplane came to rest adjacent to an approximate 50-ft-tall building, which displayed a diagonal transfer mark that extended nearly the vertical length of the building. A dark black transfer mark was observed on the same wall about 5 ft from the ground and multiple horizontally oriented striations were below the black mark. An additional black transfer mark was located a few inches from the striations.

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The elevator trim tab exhibited 15° nose-down deflection, consistent with the elevator trim tab indicator. The flap selector was found in the “up” position and the indicator displayed 20°. The flap actuator jackscrew threads were not exposed, consistent with the flaps being fully retracted.

Stall Speeds

The pilot’s operating handbook (POH) included the airplane’s stall speeds in a power OFF configuration at a weight of 2,220 lbs. According to the POH, the stall speed in a flaps-up configuration at a level attitude with a rearward center of gravity (CG) is 42 knots (kts) and the stall at a 30° bank angle is 45 kts. The stall speed in a flaps-up configuration at a level attitude with a forward center of gravity (CG) is 45 kts and the stall speed at a 30° bank angle is 48 kts. The section also includes a note: “maximum altitude loss during a normal stall recovery is approximately 300 ft.”

The normal procedures in the POH state that a balked landing should be conducted at maximum power with flaps at 20° and 55 kts indicated airspeed. These values are based on a maximum weight of 2,220 lbs.

Weight and Balance

An airplane weight and balance was computed using a basic empty weight of 1,475 lbs, a combined occupant weight of 564 lbs and a fuel weight of 240 lbs (40 gallons). The airplane total weight was approximately 2,279 lbs and the calculated CG was 43.88 inches aft from the datum. According to the pilot’s operating handbook, the airplane’s forward CG limit was 38.5 inches aft from the datum and the aft CG limit was 47.3 inches from the datum.

Crosswind Component

The reported wind gusts at the time of the accident would have produced a headwind component of about 16 kts and a right crosswind of about 6 kts. The sustained winds at the time would have produced a headwind component of 10 kts and a right crosswind of 3 kts.

According to the POH, the maximum demonstrated crosswind velocity in the accident airplane was 15 kts.

According to the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-8083-H-3C),

“After establishing the proper climb attitude and power settings [during a go around maneuver], the pilot's next concern is flap retraction. After the descent has been stopped, the landing flaps are partially retracted or placed in the takeoff position as recommended by the manufacturer. Depending on the airplane’s altitude and airspeed, it is wise to retract the flaps intermittently in small increments to allow time for the airplane to accelerate progressively as they are being raised. A sudden and complete retraction of the flaps could cause a loss of lift resulting in the airplane settling into the ground.”

An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Riverside County Sheriff – Coroner Division. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries.