N893JA

On August 18, 2018, about 1500 central daylight time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N893JA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Addison, Texas. The pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 discovery flight.

The pilot stated that, before departing Addison Airport (ADS), Addison, Texas, on the discovery flight with two passengers on board, he completed a weight and balance calculation on his phone and determined they were within the center of gravity limits for the airplane. He stated that the fuel had been “topped off” (56 gallons) by the prior flight instructor. The pilot explained that he cycled the flaps twice during his preflight inspection, once to ensure they fully extended and retracted, and a second time to visually inspect the rods and roller tracks. No issues were identified during the preflight inspection.

The pilot reported that the engine performed “normally” on takeoff until the airplane began veering to the left. He applied right rudder and aileron. The controls felt normal with no resistance, but the airplane continued to veer over the grass toward the taxiway. The pilot recalled hearing the stall warning horn sound; he lowered the nose and adjusted the trim. He tried to keep the nose up, but the airplane continued in a nose-down position and impacted the dirt. The pilot recalled the airplane’s nose had started to lift prematurely when he applied power and he attempted to push it down before liftoff. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage.

A surveillance video from a tenant at ADS showed the airplane in a high-pitch attitude shortly after takeoff. As the airplane moved into the center of the video frame, its pitch attitude remained consistent until the left wing dropped, followed by a quick descent. The airplane impacted the ground left wing first.

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical issues with the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. The flap actuator indicated a flap setting of 30°.

A weight and balance calculation based on the available loading information revealed that the takeoff

gross weight was about 2,688 lbs; the maximum gross weight of the airplane was 2,550 lbs.