Cessna 172 N5064H accident near Brevard, North Carolina

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude while maneuvering the airplane at a low altitude, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and two passengers were flying at low altitudes over a camp and dropping candy from the airplane. The pilot recalled that the airplane was “a couple hundred feet” above the trees in slow flight; the next thing that the pilot remembered was waking up in a hospital. During the flight, one of the passengers commented to the pilot that the airplane was getting close to the treetops and that he needed to apply power and pull up. The pilot stated something similar to, “I’m working on it.” The passenger recalled that the airplane hit trees and that he woke up next to the airplane. He also stated that the engine was operating normally.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. An onboard image recording from a camera found at the accident site revealed that the airplane was maneuvering at a low altitude and high bank angles until the airplane impacted terrain.

Given the passenger’s recollections and the onboard image recording evidence, the pilot allowed the airplane to sink below the level of the treetops while conducting high bank angles at a low altitude.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA22LA274 for the full record.