ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 202210
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| Date: | Wednesday 7 April 1999 |
| Time: | 22:59 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 172P |
| Owner/operator: | Four Corners Aviation Inc. |
| Registration: | N96212 |
| MSN: | 17276041 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1983 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7637 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-D2J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Dulce, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Colorado Spgs, CO |
| Farmington, NM | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During the flight from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Farmington, New Mexico, in which no flight plan was filed, the pilot and his pilot-rated passenger were unable to identify the mountains due to the dark night conditions. The pilot realized the VORs were inoperative, and that he was disoriented. He identified the city lights of Dulce, New Mexico, and decided to divert to the old airport, even though it was closed. The pilot began experiencing 'unusual attitudes and was beginning to feel the effects of vertigo,' as he began to encounter snow, fog, and partial obscuration. The aircraft's windshield had also become 'cake[d] with ice.' The controller advised the pilot of the airport's position. He was unable to identify the runway, but observed a police car's flashing light and made the decision to land. Upon landing, the aircraft veered to the left of the runway and impacted a ditch 70 yards from the runway centerline, then nosed over. During the pilot's weather briefings in Farmington and Colorado Springs, the pilot was advised of an AIRMET that had been issued for gusty winds with possible freezing rain and rime icing below 18,000 feet (FL 180), and moderate to severe turbulence en route.
Probable Cause: The pilot-in-command becoming disoriented during cruise flight, and his intentional flight into instrument meteorological conditions without proper certification. Factors were the existing weather conditions that included snow, fog, obscuration and icing, the dark night light conditions, the rough terrain condition on which to make a forced landing, and the closed runway.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB DEN99LA063
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Nov-2017 12:44 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 08-Apr-2024 07:29 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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