N994CPCessna 172R · 1997

On July 6, 2019, about 1515 central daylight time, a Cessna 172R, N994CP, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Oxford, Mississippi. The student pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

The solo cross-country flight originated from Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR), Columbus, Mississippi, about 1400 and was destined for University-Oxford Airport (UOX), Oxford, Mississippi. A fixed-base operator employee at UOX reported that, about 1515, he heard the pilot announce on the common traffic advisory frequency that the airplane was landing on runway 9. He stated that the pilot's voice sounded "panicked" and that she did not finish her sentences. The pilot did not respond to a request for the airplane’s location from a helicopter in the area. The witness saw the airplane approach runway 9 with a tailwind. The airplane did not touch the runway, and abeam the windsock near midfield, the airplane started to climb at a "steep" angle. The witness indicated that he did not hear any engine anomalies. He stated that the airplane veered toward the golf course and then went "straight down behind the trees." He observed smoke about 3 minutes later above the treeline. The witness advised that a local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control center had called a few minutes before the landing attempt and was trying to locate the airplane.

A witness at the golf course reported that he first saw the airplane above the trees over the 16th hole of the golf course; the airplane appeared to be "struggling" to maintain airspeed, was nose up, and appeared to be “very close to stalling.” The witness indicated that the airplane then made a hard left turn and lost altitude. He thought the airplane was attempting a landing on the 17th fairway. The airplane continued the left turn, struck the ground, and slid to nearby trees.

The witness statements are consistent with the plotted radar data.

Good Samaritans and first responders tried to extract the pilot from the cockpit to no avail; the seatbelt and shoulder harness retained the pilot in the cockpit. A ground fire subsequently occurred. Firefighters contained the fire, and the pilot was extracted and airlifted to a hospital.

The airplane came to rest on a golf course about 1,200 ft north of the runway 9 centerline. The airplane resting heading was about 170°. A ground scar consistent with a left main landing gear impression was observed about 70 ft north of the wreckage, and abeam the ground scar to the east was a depression consistent with left wing contact. A ground scar consistent with a cowling and nose landing gear impression was found about 58 ft north of the wreckage. Retaining clips consistent with nose landing gear clips were found near this scar, and the scar exhibited a depression consistent with a propeller strike. The fuselage's center section was found melted, deformed, and discolored by fire. Sections of the left and right wing struts were found under their wings. The outboard section of the left wing was deformed and wrinkled upward and rearward, which was consistent with ground contact. The empennage was found upright. The engine and its attached propeller were found inverted, and the engine was partially connected to the firewall underneath the forward fuselage. An outboard section of one propeller blade was melted, and the other propeller blade exhibited forward bending.

An on-scene examination of the airplane was conducted. Flight control cables were traced, and control continuity was established to all control surfaces from the cockpit area. Engine control cables were traced, and control continuity was established from the cockpit area to the engine. Removed sparkplugs exhibited a normal combustion appearance when compared to a Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug chart. The engine exhibited a thumb compression at three cylinders when the crankshaft was rotated. All rocker covers were removed, and all valve train components moved accordingly when the crankshaft was rotated. The No. 4 cylinder was removed and had material under its exhaust valve. Oil was observed within the engine crankcase when the cylinder was removed. No debris was observed in the oil screen, oil filter, and fuel servo screen. The rear-mounted engine accessories exhibited deformation and discoloration consistent with thermal fire damage. The flap jackscrew did not exhibit any thread extension, which is consistent with retracted flaps.

The No. 4 cylinder was examined at the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory. The examination revealed that the cylinder components were discolored with deposits on the surface consistent with fire damage. A section of deformed exhaust riser was attached to the cylinder assembly, and a gap was present where the riser attached to the cylinder head. The exhaust valve was slightly open with a gap between the valve head and the valve seat. A gray deposit was observed within the gap on the upper side of the exhaust valve. The exhaust valve was disassembled from the cylinder assembly. Dull gray deposits with smooth surface features were observed around the valve stem and on the valve head and were consistent with previously molten aluminum alloy. The shape of the deposit was consistent with flow over the lower side of the valve stem, accumulating on the upper surfaces of the exhaust port and valve seat.

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According to the Office of the State Medical Examiner, Pearl, Mississippi, autopsy report, the cause of the pilot's death was multiple blunt trauma . The medical examiner reported evidence of medical interventions. There was no evidence of any significant natural disease.

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory on the pilot’s blood and urine revealed ketamine and norketamine, its metabolite. Medical records obtained from the helicopter air ambulance service indicated that ketamine was administered to the pilot for pain management while en route to the hospital.