History of Flight
On August 11, 2017, about 0917 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, registration N1727V, collided with terrain at Candlelight Farms Airport (11N) in New Milford, Connecticut. The flight instructor was fatally injured, and the student pilot and passenger suffered serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The aircraft was registered to and operated by Arrow Aviation LLC under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight, which originated at Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR) about 0835.
Data from the airplane's Garmin GPSMAP 396 GPS unit were used to reconstruct the flight path. The GPS was not configured to record time, so groundspeed and precise accident time could not be determined. The data showed that the airplane departed runway 26 at DXR, climbed to about 3,000 ft, and performed a series of maneuvers. It then entered a left downwind for runway 35 at 11N, landed, taxied clear, and taxied south. The airplane subsequently took off from runway 35. The final five GPS altitude points recorded were 764 ft, 787 ft, 827 ft, 807 ft, and 712 ft. Recording stopped at a location consistent with the accident site. The airport elevation was about 675 ft, and the accident site was at about 685 ft.
The aft-seat passenger, who was the student pilot's father, walked to a nearby residence to seek assistance. No known eyewitnesses were present. The passenger recalled that the airplane landed at Candlelight Farms and then taxied for takeoff but did not recall the completion of the taxi or the takeoff. The student pilot did not recall any of the accident events.
Personnel Information
The student pilot was enrolled at Arrow Aviation at DXR and did not possess an FAA student pilot certificate or medical certificate. According to her logbook, she had logged about 15 total flight hours since July 2015.
The flight instructor held commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates with airplane single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on May 21, 2016. He reported 3,900 total flight hours to the FAA in October 2012; his logbooks were not located.
Aircraft Information
The single-engine, high-wing, four-seat Cessna 172M was manufactured in 1974. It featured fixed tricycle landing gear, an Lycoming O-320-E2D engine rated at 160 horsepower, electrically operated wing flaps, a stall warning system, and dual flight controls. The most recent 100-hour inspections on the airframe and engine were completed on June 28, 2017. The most recent annual inspections were completed on February 17, 2017. The Hobbs meter indicated 8,478.5 hours at the time of the accident.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions at DXR, located about 12 miles south of the accident site, at 0953 included wind from 150° at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 24°C, dew point 17°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.17 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in an open field about 1,000 ft northwest of the airport boundary. The wreckage was upright in a nose-low attitude, with all components accounted for. The nose landing gear separated during impact. No fire occurred. The wreckage path measured about 72 ft long and 30 ft wide, oriented on a 300° magnetic heading. The initial ground impact scar contained a fragment of the left wingtip navigation light. The airplane came to rest heading 070°.
All primary flight control surfaces remained attached, and control continuity was established from cockpit controls to the ailerons, elevator, and rudder. The elevator trim indicator was found in the "takeoff" position. The wing flaps were fully extended (40°), consistent with the flap switch being in the full extension position. The flap position indicator on the instrument panel was damaged and off-scale. The flap motor operated normally when tested.
The airplane had a fuel tank in each wing. Both vented fuel caps were secure and vents unobstructed. The fuel selector was in the left tank position. About 10 gallons of blue fuel were recovered from the left tank and about 2 gallons from the right tank; both tanks were leaking. The fuel was free of water and debris.
The engine was examined at the site and then removed. Bottom spark plugs showed normal wear; one had wet oil. The carburetor remained attached, with the foam intake element covered in organic debris from impact. The carburetor bowl contained about 2 ounces of blue fuel, free of water and debris. The floats were intact, and the inlet screen was unobstructed with a small amount of lead solder. The engine was rotated by hand, producing compression and suction on all cylinders with correct valve action. The propeller was attached, with blades displaying chordwise scratching, leading edge gouges, twisting, and S-bending; one blade tip was broken off.
Medical and Pathological Information
The State of Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the flight instructor. The cause of death was blunt trauma to the head, neck, and torso, and the manner was accident. The FAA's Bioaeronautical Research Sciences Laboratory detected Losartan in blood and urine and ibuprofen in urine; these medications are not generally considered impairing.