Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Titusville Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Titusville, Pennsylvania 16354
Saturday, August 20, 2011 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The instrument-rated flight instructor and student pilot were on a night visual flight rules cross-country flight that included landings at two other airports and a return to the original departure airport. The student pilot had obtained a preflight weather briefing that indicated that some local weather reporting stations were reporting marginal visibilities, likely due to ground fog. A postaccident weather study indicated that the weather conditions were likely to deteriorate further and become instrument meteorological conditions due to ground fog.
Local law enforcement personnel were dispatched to the destination airport after citizens called the emergency operators and reported an airplane was circling the airport. A police officer who was unable to locate the airplane reported that a heavy fog was present and visibility was between 30 to 40 feet. Review of recorded radar data revealed the airplane flew over the destination airport at 2,700 feet above ground level (agl). The last radar return indicated the airplane had descended to 1,500 feet agl about 1 /2 mile south west of the destination airport. The airplane was located in the vicinity of that radar return. The flight instructor and student pilot likely encountered instrument meteorological conditions as they approached their original departure airport; however, they did not contact or request any assistance from air traffic controllers.
Examination of the airplane revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The flight instructor's improper decision to attempt a visual descent into instrument meteorological conditions while approaching the destination airport, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/20/2011 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 34 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | Titusville |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 16354 |
| Event Date Year | 2011 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 413641N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0794515W |
| Event Location Airport | Titusville Airport |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 6GI |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 35 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 201 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | FKL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1540 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 14 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 16 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 30501 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Eastern ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 10 2012 5:12PM |
| User who most recently changed record | gots |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N13126 |
| NTSB Number | ERA11FA467 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 172M |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 17262516 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2300 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | 1 |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | 3 |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 31 2011 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 59 |
| Airframe Hours | 4440 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | C91 |
| Aircraft Owner Name | TITUSVILLE AEROCLUB INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | TITUSVILLE AIRPORT COMPLEX |
| Aircraft Owner City | TITUSVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 16354 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | TITUSVILLE AEROCLUB INC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | TITUSVILLE AIRPORT COMPLEX |
| Operator City | TITUSVILLE |
| Operator State | PA |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 16354 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | LNN |
| Departure City | Willoughby |
| Departure State | OH |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | -- |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | 6GI |
| Destination City | Titusville |
| Destination State | PA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 10 2012 5:05PM |
| User who most recently changed record | gots |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |