Instructor Recovers After Aircraft Rolls 90 Degrees and Pitches Nose-Down Vertical 

And you thought YOU had some close calls?

If you want a little pucker factor in your reading, check out a recent NTSB Prelim (below) in which a C172 on a training flight mixed it up with the vortices induced by a nearby experimental Boeing 747-400 LCF (Large Cargo Freighter) toting a hefty operating weight of over 630,000 pounds.

 Kudos to the instructor for affecting what appears to have been a very tricky recovery....

NTSB Identification: SEA07IA019
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Incident occurred Thursday, November 16, 2006 in Seattle, WA
Aircraft: Cessna 172, registration: N9522S
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

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.

On November 16, 2006, approximately 1420 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172, N9522S (file photo below), encountered wake vortices from an experimental Boeing 747-400 LCF (Large Cargo Freighter), while on final approach to a VFR landing at Boeing-King County International Airport, Seattle, Washington. The certified flight instructor and her student were not injured, and the aircraft, which is owned and operated by Galvin Flying Service, did not sustain any damage.

According to the flight instructor, who's student was established at 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl) on a straight-in approach to Runway 13 left, about five seconds after being passed by the 747, which had been cleared for a visual approach to runway 13 right, the Cessna 172 rolled almost instantly to a 90 degree right bank, and descended in a nearly straight nose down attitude. The flight instructor took control of the aircraft, and was able to complete a recovery approximately 150 feet above the channel of water that runs along the east side of Terminal Island. The recovery was completed below the level of the booms of the cranes that were unloading the nearby container ships.

According to Boeing Aircraft Company, the 747 LCF (pictured above/below), which is projected to be certified with a maximum gross landing weight of 575,000 pounds, weighed approximately 633,700 pounds at the time it passed the Cessna 172 on final approach.

At the time of the incident, there was a nine knot crosswind blowing approximately 80 degrees from the right of the path of both aircraft.

FMI: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20061122X01707&key=1