NYC99LA120

Factual narrative

On May 22, 1999, about 1530 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N5679E, was substantially damaged during an aborted takeoff at Harford County Airport (0W3), Churchville, Maryland. The certificated private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In a written statement given to the FAA after the accident, the pilot stated: "Departing Runway 10, Started accelerating, stiff crosswind pushed me to left as I accelerated. Started to lift off and stalled. Decided to abort takeoff. Put plane back down on grass. Plane bounced around a couple of times and started toward trees. Tried to stop before trees and wing hit the ground." In the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot further stated: "...Accelerated down runway with ailerons into the wind. Had already leveled ailerons and was starting to rotate when it felt like a gust of wind pushed the plane off the left side of the runway. I could see the plane was headed for a line of trees, so I banked the plane to the right as I rotated. I heard the stall warning indicator and decided to abort the takeoff. I set the plane down on the grass and closed the throttle. The plane bounced a couple of times and kept heading toward the tree line. I thought we were going to be alright and miss the trees when the tip of the left wing caught a small tree and swung the plane sharply to the left. The right wheel and then the right wing dug into the ground and stopped the plane just behind the tree line...." According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane departed the runway on the left side about mid-field, and then traveled about 1,000 feet over the grass until the left wing struck a tree. The airplane traveled another 100 feet and came to rest with the right wing stuck in a stand of trees. Both wings were bent and there were wrinkles in the fuselage. The FAA Inspector also reported that witness said the crosswind was about 7 knots maximum. According to FAA records, Runway 10 was 2,140 feet long, 40 feet wide and had an asphalt surface. The closest recorded weather was the US Army Airfield at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen Maryland, located on a bearing of 120 degrees magnetic, 5.6 statue miles away. Following are the winds from their 1500 and 1600 observations. 1500 Winds from 190 degrees, at 6 knots 1600 Winds from 240 degrees, at 7 knots The pilot reported his total time as 165.5 hours. The pilot received his flight review on June 11, 1998. He has flown 4 times in the preceding 90 days for a total time of 5.4 hours. From June 11, 1998 to the accident, he had logged 6 flights for a total of 7.8 hours. The pilot reported that on the takeoff roll, just as he rotated for liftoff, the airplane was struck by a gust of wind and blown off the runway to the left. He heard the stall warning horn sound and aborted the takeoff. The airplane remained to the left of the runway and the left wing struck some trees, after which the airplane turned into the trees. The pilot had logged 7.8 hours in the preceding 11 1/2 months. He had logged 5.8 hours in the preceding 90 days. An Inspector from the FAA reported he interviewed witnesses who reported the crosswind was about 7 knots maximum. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12