Friday, February 26, 2021

Cessna 172B Skyhawk, N7832X: Accident occurred February 24, 2021 near Winchester Regional Airport (KOKV), Frederick County, Virginia

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. 

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Washington, District of Columbia


Location: Winchester, VA 
Accident Number: ERA21LA137
Date & Time: February 24, 2021, 14:14 Local 
Registration: N7832X
Aircraft: Cessna 172B 
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N7832X
Model/Series: 172B Aircraft
Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: 
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation: 
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility:
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Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: 
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor 
Latitude, Longitude: 39.168343,-78.356481 (est)







GORE — Test pilot and aviation legend Chuck Yeager’s adage that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing came into play Wednesday when a pilot walked away from a crash landing into a field on Back Mountain Road by Fishel Road.

The Cessna 172B Skyhawk crashed shortly after taking off from Winchester Regional Airport at 2:15 p.m., according to an email from a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman. The pilot was the only person aboard. The crash was reported to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office at 2:17 p.m.

The plane, which has a maximum speed of 105 mph, was flying west when it attempted an emergency landing. It nosedived into a hill in the field, flipped and slid about 25 yards before coming to rest upside down and pointed east. The front wheel, which broke off upon impact, was about 10 yards from the plane. State police said the pilot, identified as Jonathan D. Behnke, 42, of Mount Airy, Maryland, walked away from the crash, but was hospitalized at Winchester Medical Center for minor injuries.

A preliminary investigation said the cause of the crash was engine failure shortly after take off, according to an email from Sgt. Brent Coffey, state police spokesman.

The airplane’s registration says it was built in 1960. First built in 1956, the Skyhawk is “the most popular single-engine aircraft ever built” and is often used to train pilots, according to the Cessna website.

Nick Sabo, Winchester Regional Airport executive director, said the plane was not based out of the Winchester airport. He said up to 300 take-offs and landings occur at the airport on a daily basis, including practice flights.

6 comments:

  1. "The plane, which has a maximum speed of 105 mph"

    Non-aviator reporters strike fake news again. Cruise speed of a 172B at 75% is 131 mph (114 knots). It took me 12 seconds to look that up. Do these "reporters" ever do their research for facts before spouting? Yes, that's a rhetorical question, especially revolving around politics.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If they were smart or had any common sense they would have a better job.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emergency landings—easy to second-guess the pilot, sitting in a chair. The pilot is under extreme mental pressure once that engine quits low to the ground. The pilot has VERY little time to pick a level place to land, then try to land on speed, in a safe landing attitude, etc. if the ground isn’t level or if it is soft, it would be tough not to tear off the nose gear, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Emergency landings—easy to second-guess the pilot, sitting in a chair. The pilot is under extreme mental pressure once that engine quits low to the ground. The pilot has VERY little time to pick a level place to land, then try to land on speed, in a safe landing attitude, etc. if the ground isn’t level or if it is soft, it would be tough not to tear off the nose gear, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emergency landings—easy to second-guess the pilot, sitting in a chair. The pilot is under extreme mental pressure once that engine quits low to the ground. The pilot has VERY little time to pick a level place to land, then try to land on speed, in a safe landing attitude, etc. if the ground isn’t level or if it is soft, it would be tough not to tear off the nose gear, etc.

    ReplyDelete