14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, May 26, 2012 in St. George, UT
Aircraft: CESSNA 172S, registration: N953SP
Injuries: 4 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On May 26, 2012, about 0120 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N953SP, collided with terrain shortly after departing from St. George Municipal Airport, St. George, Utah. Diamond Flying LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and three passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight was departing from St. George with a planned destination of Mesquite, Nevada. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
A review of the recorded security camera footage at the airport revealed that the airplane could be seen in the nighttime conditions by the blinking left-wing strobe light and the navigation light mounted on the tail. The airplane appeared to depart from runway 19 and maneuver at a low altitude for the length of the runway while increasing its airspeed. Near the end of the runway, the airplane began a rapid ascent and continued out of the view of the camera. After about 7 seconds, the airplane reappears further down the frame in a rapid descent.
The accident site was located in the hard dirt area (the southerly primary surface) adjacent to the departure end of runway 19. Situated on the level terrain, the airplane came to rest in an inverted attitude and was oriented on a 315-degree magnetic bearing. The main wreckage, which consisted of a majority of the airframe and engine, was located about 525 feet from the edge of the runway's center point.
The first identified point of impact was a ground scar impression about 40 feet from the main wreckage that dimensionally and geometrically resembled the wings with a crater-like impression in between. The span of the ground disturbance was about 36.5 feet, with red lens fragments located near the east side and green fragments on the westerly side; the airplane's wingspan was 36.1 feet. Imbedded in the center crater was a portion of a propeller blade and the nose wheel. In the debris field from the ground scar to the main wreckage was the oil sump, the propeller, and engine accessories.
A routine aviation weather report (METAR) generated by an Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at the airport, indicated that about 5 minutes prior to the accident the conditions were as follows: wind was from 260 degrees at 9 knots; temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 28 degrees Fahrenheit; and altimeter 29.60 inHg.
ALEXANDER
JAMES METZGER
St. George, Utah - On May 26, 2012 our beloved son
Alexander James Metzger, age 22, returned home to our heavenly father.
Alex came into this world September 9, 1989 in Los Angeles, California
in the most adventurous way, and that is the way he chose to live his
life.
Alex resided in St. George for the past 12 years with his mother, but spent much time with his family in southern California. He graduated from Dixie High School in 2007, attended Dixie State College where he received his associate's degree and was currently attending Utah Valley University, majoring in psychology. He valued his education and loved to learn.
Alex was known and loved by so many. He lived each day to its fullest, not wanting to waste one precious moment. He will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, kindness and compassion toward others, and the unconditional love he gave to his family.
Alex resided in St. George for the past 12 years with his mother, but spent much time with his family in southern California. He graduated from Dixie High School in 2007, attended Dixie State College where he received his associate's degree and was currently attending Utah Valley University, majoring in psychology. He valued his education and loved to learn.
Alex was known and loved by so many. He lived each day to its fullest, not wanting to waste one precious moment. He will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, kindness and compassion toward others, and the unconditional love he gave to his family.
Alex was a lively spirit
who brought joy and fun to everyone he met; he loved activity, laughing,
playing jokes, teasing, trying new things, and spending time with his
family.
Growing up in both Utah and Southern California, he took
advantage of being active and engaging in adventures outdoors: hiking,
surfing during yearly beach trips, BMX biking, dirt bike riding,
skateboarding, etc. He is survived by his mother, Anne Lambert Metzger;
father, Bryan Metzger; stepmother, Jill Metzger; and his siblings:
Morgan, Collin, Madison, Tori, and Haileigh. Memorial services will be
held Friday, June 1, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. at the Metcalf Mortuary Chapel,
288 West St. George Blvd., St. George, Utah.
Arrangements are entrusted
to Metcalf Mortuary, (435) 673-4221. Please visit our website at www.metcalfmortuary.com for condolences and complete obituary and funeral listings.
Source: http://www.legacy.com
FAA IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 953SP Make/Model: C172 Description: Skyhawk
Date: 05/26/2012 Time: 0800
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: SAINT GEORGE State: UT Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON TAKEOFF UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES. ST. GEORGE, UT
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 4
# Crew: 0 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 3 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Take-off Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: SALT LAKE CITY, UT (NM07) Entry date: 05/29/2012
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