Cessna 172S N5524L accident near Daytona Beach, Florida

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power during the initial climb after takeoff for reasons that could not be determined due to the postaccident condition of the wreckage. Contributing to the accident was the pilots' decision to turn back to the airport, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall while maneuvering.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor and a private pilot receiving instruction were conducting a night proficiency flight and had completed two touch-and-go landings. A witness reported that, during the initial climb after the second touch-and-go landing, the airplane experienced a series of engine "backfires," followed by an audible loss of rpm. The airplane struggled to gain altitude and airspeed as it continued on an easterly heading. He then observed the airplane's right wing dip, followed by a right turn back toward the airport, after which the airplane stalled and then entered a nose-down descent. After the airplane impacted the ground, it was destroyed by a postcrash fire.

Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, the postaccident condition of the wreckage precluded a functional check of the engine and its accessories.

There was no evidence that medical issues, medications, or toxic substances impaired the flight instructor or contributed to the accident. Toxicology testing on the pilot receiving instruction detected concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component in marijuana, in cavity blood but not in the brain. In addition, and THC's primary metabolite was detected in cavity blood and urine but not in the brain. Given that no THC was detected in the pilot's brain, it is likely that some of the THC detected in the cavity blood resulted from postmortem redistribution. However, the investigation found no operational evidence of impairment for the pilot. Therefore, although the pilot had used marijuana at some time before the flight, there was no evidence that he was impaired by it at the time of the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14FA283 for the full record.