History of Flight
On October 29, 2016, about 1445 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N6353E, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain following a loss of control during takeoff initial climb from a remote, gravel-covered bar adjacent to the Knik River, about 12 miles southeast of Palmer, Alaska. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which originated from the Wasilla Airport at an unknown time.
According to friends and relatives, the pilot was flying for recreational purposes while they drove all-terrain vehicles in the Knik River valley. A friend reported that at 1444, the pilot executed a touch-and-go landing to the southeast on a gravel bar adjacent to the Knik River, near Friday Creek, about 8.5 miles northwest of the Knik Glacier. The airplane climbed to about 100 ft agl and turned left (north) toward Friday Creek. By the time it reached the tree line, it had descended to about 75 ft agl. The airplane was "banked pretty hard" as it continued to turn and lose altitude. The witness observed that, as the airplane turned toward a southeast heading, it "dropped" and then impacted terrain. No abnormal engine sounds or revving were heard before impact. The pilot had been flying around the group of ATVs during the afternoon with no abnormal sounds. The witness estimated wind from the upper Knik River valley, blowing "steady in a northwest direction" at 20-25 mph with higher gusts.
Two friends, in a joint witness statement, reported that after the touch-and-go, the airplane "flew over directly in front of us" between 100-200 ft agl with an estimated headwind of 10-15 knots. They stated the airplane was at "full throttle" and climbed to 300 ft agl then turned left. They believed a gust of wind occurred at that moment and the wings were then "perpendicular to the ground." The airplane "quickly fell" and "spun" 360° with a nose-down attitude and impacted nose first.
The pilot's brother reported that after the touch-and-go, the airplane was climbing and it appeared the wind "hit him with a hard gust" and tried "pushing the plane around." The pilot attempted to correct with rudder, but the wind was "too strong" and "pushed" the airplane into the ground nose first.
Video footage from a GoPro camera recovered from the wreckage showed the airplane configured with full flaps descending toward the gravel bar. It touched down, and the pilot quickly retracted flaps to about 10°. During the ground roll, the nose wheel did not touch the gravel bar. The airplane resumed flight and entered a steep climb shortly thereafter. As it climbed, the pilot appeared to look toward the ground below and to the left, then glanced forward before looking downward and left again. The airplane was in a steep climb with wings level. During the steep climb, as the pilot looked downward and left, the airplane began to yaw left. The pilot looked forward and made a left roll control input on the yoke; the left aileron moved correspondingly. Within 2 seconds of yaw onset and 1 second after the left roll input, the airplane was in a near-vertical nose-down attitude. The terrain suggested the airplane began spinning left rapidly as the nose pointed vertically. The video showed a corrupted segment, then resumed showing the airplane spinning left in a steep nose-down attitude until ground impact. The pilot appeared conscious and alert at impact. The video had no audio.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The NTSB investigator-in-charge and an FAA ASI reached the accident scene on October 30, 2016. The site was flat, gravel-covered terrain north of the Knik River with heavy vegetation to the north, surrounded by steep mountains. The airplane rested nose-down on about a 100° magnetic heading. Scattered forward (east) were small portions of broken windscreen, hardware, and two sections of fractured propeller. All main components were found at the site. The cabin was heavily crushed and compressed aft; both wings partially separated at the wing roots. The metal cockpit v-brace behind the windscreen was bent outward. The fuselage was slightly angled left, and the empennage elevated about 45° off the ground. The cockpit was severely damaged; the windscreen segmented and shattered. Both yokes bent downward. Throttle, mixture, primer, and carburetor heat controls were full forward. Magneto switch in both position. Cabin aft contained maintenance items and an environmental cover. Both cockpit doors separated. Nose landing gear separated; main landing gears intact. Both wings displayed impact crushing and bending with bent lift struts. Both fuel cells had minor leaking and tested negative for water. The engine compartment was heavily crushed; cowling heavily fractured. Oil leakage from engine case. The spinner was deformed. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange; one blade intact and partially buried; the other fractured into three pieces. The wreckage was recovered via helicopter. On November 29, 2016, a wreckage examination was conducted under NTSB direction with FAA, Textron Aviation, and Continental Motors. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures was noted.
Additional Information
The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-3A, states about stall awareness: "The key to stall awareness is the pilot's ability to visualize the wing's angle of attack in any particular circumstance, and thereby be able to estimate his/her margin of safety above stall... It is essential to flight safety that a pilot take into consideration this visualization of the wing's angle of attack prior to entering any flight maneuver."
Medical and Pathological Information
The Alaska State Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory performed toxicology tests that were negative for carbon monoxide, ethanol, and drugs.