Event ATL02LA168

Factual narrative

On September 10, 2002, at 1145 eastern daylight time a Cessna 172P, N62602, registered to Civil Air Patrol Inc., and operated by a private pilot, collided with the ground shortly after takeoff from a touch and go landing on runway 9, at the Mocksville Twin Lakes Airport in Mocksville, North Carolina. The flight was operated under the provision of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot and pilot rated passenger received serious injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Mocksville Sugar Valley Airport, Mocksville, North Carolina at 1100. According to the pilot, he was conducting touch and go landings. Witnesses in various locations, saw the airplane touch down and lift off about two thirds down runway 9. One witness was a pilot in the traffic pattern for runway 9. He recalled the pilot of the mishap airplane mentioning they were performing a simulated engine-out maneuver. Another witness described the airplane as rolling for a while, after which the nose went up abruptly. Witnesses observed the airplane in a nose high attitude below the tree line during the climb out. During climb the airplane clipped trees at the departure end of runway 9. The airplane was next seen in a nose high right turn and disappeared into the tree line. Subsequently the airplane collided with the terrain. Examination of the engine's logbooks revealed that the engine was overhauled by Lycoming on 10/23/2001. The airplane underwent an annual inspection on 8/16/2002. On September 11, 2002 the engine was examined by Lycoming personnel with an NTSB representative present. The examination revealed that the lower front of the engine had sustained impact damage. The rear section of the engine was damaged from compression against the firewall. Examination of the engine revealed no preimpact anomalies. Examination of the wreckage found the airplane in about a 70 degree nose down attitude on a heading of 045 degrees magnetic. The empennage was suspended in the air, and resting against a tree. One of the propeller blades were bent aft following the contour of the cowling. The other blade had chord wise scratches and a bent tip. Freshly cut tree branches were found at the accident site. The leading edge of the left wing was buckled and the outboard portion of the left wing tip was curled upward. The wing tip and the leading edge of the right wing had crush damage. The left yoke assembly was severed from the control column, and the main cabin area of the fuselage was buckled. The pilot was conducting touch and go landings when on the accident landing, the airplane touched down about two-third down the runway. On the go phase of the touch and go maneuver, the pilot established a nose high attitude followed by a right descending roll followed by the subsequent collision with trees. The airplane rested on the ground in a nose low attitude. No mechanical problems were reported by the pilot prior to the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12