Cessna 172 N6413B accident near Altha, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to perform a preflight weight and balance calculation and his operation of the flight at an excessive takeoff weight, resulting in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack after liftoff and an aerodynamic stall from which the pilot was unable to recover.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was conducting a personal flight with three passengers aboard. Witnesses and airport surveillance video revealed that the airplane took off to the north and immediately entered a nose-high attitude at slow speed while not climbing. The pilot then began a left 270° turn and crossed the departure end of the runway on an easterly heading. The airplane impacted terrain east of the runway and a postimpact fire ensued. The wreckage displayed signatures consistent with the airplane having been in an aerodynamic stall at the time of impact. Witnesses described that the engine was running during the accident flight. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of a pre-existing mechanical failure or malfunction.

Postaccident weight and balance calculations revealed that the airplane’s weight at takeoff was about 224 pounds, or nearly 10% more than the maximum allowable gross weight. One of the surviving passengers reported that the pilot did not ask for his weight and that he did not observe the pilot performing any preflight weight and balance calculation. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot’s failure to perform weight and balance calculations resulted in the airplane taking off while overweight, which resulted in its inability to climb. Ultimately the airplane to exceed its critical angle of attack and entered an aerodynamic stall from which the pilot could not recover.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA22FA218 for the full record.