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Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Indianapolis, Indiana
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Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
https://registry.faa.gov/N13520
Location: New Washington, IN
Accident Number: CEN20LA214
Date & Time: 06/06/2020, 1523 EDT
Registration: N13520
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional
On June 6, 2020, at 1523 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N13520, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near New Washington, Indiana. The student pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
According to the flight school who owned the airplane, the student pilot was to conduct a solo practice flight in preparation for his private pilot check ride. The flight was to include maneuvers in the northeast practice area, which was near New Washington. The pilot's flight instructor stated that he was tracking the airplane on his phone and the flight track disappeared about 20 minutes into the flight. The pilot was supposed to return by 1700.
The recorded ADS-B data revealed that the airplane departed Bowman Field Airport (LOU), Louisville, Kentucky, at 1509 and proceeded northeast along the Ohio River and climbed to about 3,000 ft above ground level. About 2 nm south of New Washington, the airplane completed 3 consecutive left steep turn maneuvers and remained about 3,000 ft agl. At 1523:09 the airplane descended and headed southeast, which continued into a steep dive in excess of 10,000 ft per minute at a calculated groundspeed of about 170 kts. The final ADS-B data was recorded at 1523:34 and 165 ft agl.
Figure 1 – Accident flight path with the initial impact point overlaid on Google Earth. 
Figure 2 – Aerial view of the accident site and wreckage debris path (aerial image courtesy of the Indiana State Police). Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N13520
Model/Series: 172 M
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: Cardinal Wings Aviation Llc
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KJVY, 477 ft msl
Observation Time: 1515 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 15 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 33°C / 19°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 6000 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 250°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.98 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Louisville, KY (LOU)
Destination: Louisville, KY (LOU)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 38.538611, -85.482500 (est)
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
Joshua E. Warren
Joshua E. Warren, age 30, passed away June 6th, 2020.
Josh is preceded in passing by his grandparents, Edward L. White Sr. and Sue White, and his uncles Robert and Rick Warren. Here to carry on Josh's memory is his adoring wife of 2 years, Jordan Aikin, along with their furry feline children, Baggins and Biggie Smalls; his loving parents Jamie Warren, Jenny and Jim Martin; his siblings Jessica Martin, Matt Martin, and Brian Martin; his grandparents James E. Warren Sr. and Laquata Warren; and a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Josh will be remembered for the passion he had for music and the love he carried for his family. He has been the Director of Bands at Fern Creek High School for 3 years, and was an alumnus of YPAS at duPont Manual High School and a member of the Crimson Sound Marching Band. Josh was also an alumnus of UofL School of Music, and proudly acted as a guitarist and vocalist in his band "Another Bright Idea."
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the Josh Warren Memorial Fund, 3044 Bardstown Rd #103, Louisville KY 40205. The fund will be used to assist children in need to pursue their interest and develop their talents in the performing arts.
The family is designating a visitation for Josh's fellow alumni and band students from 1:00 - 3:00 pm Sunday, June 14, 2020 at Arch L. Heady at Resthaven, 4400 Bardstown Road. A visitation for the general public will be taking place from 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the funeral home. A memorial service will follow on Monday at 1pm at Resthaven Funeral Home.
NEW WASHINGTON, Indiana (WAVE) – A Louisville man has died following a plane crash in New Washington, Indiana Saturday afternoon.
Joshua Warren, 30, from Louisville was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash Saturday by the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
According to Indiana State Police, a passing motorist called 911 after spotting plane wreckage in a field off of Flint Ridge Road in Clark County.
When Clark County deputies arrived, they confirmed the plane crash and requested assistance from the Indiana State Police in Sellersburg.
The single-engine plane crashed in the 4400 block of Flint Ridge Road around 3:20 p.m. Saturday, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls.
ISP Sellersburg is investigating the crash of a single engine airplane near New Washington, Indiana. More detals will follow as information becomes available.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a Cessna 172M Skyhawk plane departed Bowman Field a few minutes after 3:00 p.m. Police believe the plane went down near New Washington around 3:23 p.m.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
https://www.wave3.com
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WDRB) -- Police have identified the victim of a small plane crash in southern Indiana as 30-year-old Joshua E. Warren of Louisville, Kentucky.
On Saturday, June 6 around 3:25 p.m., a driver contacted police after seeing a Cessna 172M Skyhawk that had crashed in a field off of Flint Ridge Road in Clark County, Indiana. The preliminary investigation revealed the single-engine plane departed from Bowman Field in Louisville. Investigators do not yet know what caused the crash.
Joshua Warren was the pilot and only occupant of the plane. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Clark County Coroner's Office.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will continue to investigate the crash.
https://www.wdrb.com
10,000 fpm decent into the ground? Strange.
ReplyDeletePrelim is out. What would cause a docile Skyhawk to suddenly commence a 10,000fpm descent into the ground? Perhaps the student pilot became disoriented or unconscious following the 3 steep 360 degree turns in a row? Elevator controls jammed?
ReplyDeleteBotched practice emergency descent, spatial disorientation, or a good old fashioned suicide.
ReplyDeleteAngle of impact you’d think would be much, much steeper if it were suicide.
DeleteIt is possible he was practicing slow flight maneuvers and stalled the plane, entered a spin and was unable to recover. The other could be he was practicing stalls and failed to return to a safe altitude before trying it again and ran out of altitude. On a warm summer day over plowed fields the air is really unstable at and below three thousand feet. It is possible he just became over confident in his stall recovery ability and while practicing stalls and not returning to a safe altitude he hit a pocket of unstable air during a stall and was unable to recover.
ReplyDeleteI am a flight instructor with over 5 thousand hours of teaching and I am almost certain either the pilot had to be unconscious or it was mechanical error, and even then the ground speed of the plane and the ending result tells me that plane was full power on its way down it was not in a stall. It reached speeds that it was not supposed to reach
ReplyDeleteIdk how I haven't found this report before, and I still can't decide if it's triggering or comforting to read about the pilot's final flight. I keep hoping that he would've been unconscious because I can't imagine the fear that you experience when you're going down and knowing you didn't get to tell everyone goodbye. A year later and it still shakes me to my core.
DeleteThis is such a mysterious accident. I flew quite a bit in N13520. The only issue I ever had was the heading indicator always precessed excessively.
ReplyDeleteHe was obviously practicing steep turns. The airplane never slowed down into slow flight. He just rolled into a 10,000 descent with 170 knots grounds peed. That means the KIAS was likely even a bit higher, depending on wind. He was probably at least 10 knots over Vne, that's a crazy dive. This would require a massive amount of forward pressure to keep the nose down...
Possibilities:
1. Spacial disorientation leading to unusual attitude, improper recovery. Many students are far too reliant on instruments not required for VFR, perhaps the vacuum system/attitude indicator failed, and it put him into an unusual attitude. Had to have locked his arms out pushing the yoke forward to maintain that extreme dive. It's not that far-fetched. I've seen people have bizarre reactions to stalls, negative G's, unusual attitudes, etc. People can freak out and push when they need to pull.
2. During a steep turn, passed out from a bit of G force and slumped forward on the yoke.
3. Suicide...?
How does the FAA even come to a conclusion on something like this? There's been no word from them for a year now.
Fact: This is the fourth 172 that has been destroyed for various reasons at this school in the past eight years, 3/4 crashes, one destroyed from fire. Two from within the past two years. 1 loss of life.
ReplyDeleteOne theory no one has mentioned, or not seen by me, so far: Smoke, not fire, but smoke in the cockpit. It was very warm that day and avionics and/or electrical items in the aircraft may have been running hot. He may have attempted an emergency decent and got scared/disoriented and lost control. Very sorry for his family and the instructor.
That is a very interesting theory. My understanding is that during the meeting with the FAA/NTSB it was disclosed that to the investigators knowledge, nothing was mechanically wrong with the aircraft. I wonder if they could have detected things like popped circuit breakers, burned wiring, etc. especially after such a high energy impact. Did they collect evidence to rule out this scenario? The feds indicated that the aircraft impacted the terrain at something like a 90 deg bank angle, >max speed, and cartwheeled apart. Pilot was ejected, extensive trauma.
DeleteCorrection - 5th aircraft destroyed. N20312 was crashed during a botched landing yesterday.
ReplyDeleteN20312 was not destroyed it was damaged but repaired and still flies.
DeleteFinal report is out on this one.
ReplyDeleteThe accident is consistent with a wings-level, high velocity descent and impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined with the available information.
- Probable Cause: A high velocity descent and impact with terrain for undetermined reasons.
- Final Report:https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/101396/pdf
- Docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101396