Cessna 172 accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, May 27, 2005
On May 27, 2005 at about 2:05 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N496AC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Raleigh, North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance during initial climb, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2005 · about 2:05 am local time
- Place
- Raleigh, North Carolina · Raleigh-Durham International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N496AC · registry record · serial 17281006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after returning from a cross-country flight they were conducting a night landing on runway 32. After landing on the runway, the airplane bounced and the pilot added full power, and started a right climbing turn. After seeing another airplane on short final approach to runway 23L, the pilot elected to continue the right climbing turn. At this point the pilot noticed that the airspeed had dropped to 40 knots. The airplane collided with trees.. The post-accident examination of the airplane revealed the nose of the airplane was crushed and displaced aft towards the firewall. The right wing assembly displayed leading edge crush damage, and separated at the wing root. The left wing assembly was buckled and displaced aft. The vertical and horizontal stabilizers were buckled and twisted. The empennage was buckled, and no flight control anomalies with the airplane were reported by the pilot prior to the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 147 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 59 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,272.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2005; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming I0-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RDU Raleigh NC at 7:00 pm
- Destination: RDU Raleigh/Durham NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,570 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from RDU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N496AC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.