Accident Details
On September 24, 2018, at 0957 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172, registration N6950A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
Student Pilot Account
The student pilot reported that the accident flight was his third trip around the airport traffic pattern, with his flight instructor observing from the ground. The previous two takeoffs and landings were uneventful. During the third takeoff from runway 5, the acceleration and airspeed appeared normal during the climb. After reaching about 300 ft above the ground, the airspeed began decreasing from 60 knots to 50 knots. The pilot declared an emergency, lowered the nose, and turned the airplane 180° to land on the runway. He reported that he was “far down the runway” before he could get the airplane on the ground and could not stop within the remaining runway distance. The airplane continued off the runway and impacted a perimeter fence before stopping. The pilot stated that in the initial climb, “the plane started losing power,” but did not report any other anomalies or a loss of engine rpm.
Instructor Observations
The flight instructor stated that the student was flying well during the previous two circuits. During the third takeoff, the airplane appeared to be at an excessively high angle of attack during the climb, and the airspeed was likely “bleeding off.” The airplane was directly over the runway when the student turned 180°, even though “he had plenty of runway ahead of him.” After the accident, the instructor reviewed the flight with the student and during subsequent instruction performed a similar scenario to demonstrate the effects of airplane performance, situational awareness, and how to safely recover from excessive angle of attack.
Postaccident Examination
Photographs provided by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left wing and windshield sustained substantial damage. The instructor, who was also the airplane owner, reported that during postaccident maintenance and repair, no mechanical irregularities were observed with the engine or airplane.