ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45283
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| Date: | Sunday 23 February 2003 |
| Time: | 08:30 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172N |
| Owner/operator: | Corporate Air Services |
| Registration: | N9885J |
| MSN: | 17273948 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3324 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-H2AD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | ELY, NV -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rifle, CO (RIL) |
| Little River, CA (048) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During a cross-country flight in clear weather conditions, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain in a box canyon. The pilot and passenger were flying from Colorado to California. The airplane came to rest on a snowy slope of about 25 degrees on the south side of a canyon, about 300 to 400 feet below the top of the overlying ridgeline. The canyon was contoured in an east/west direction, with rising terrain to the west, north, and south. The energy path depicted in the ground scars and wreckage debris distribution was easterly, opposite the expected direction of flight and toward lower terrain. A study of weather conditions and satellite imagery showed that the skies were clear and visibilities unrestricted. Considering the mountainous terrain and winds aloft, light to moderate turbulence below 15,000 feet was possible. The pilot survived the accident but succumbed to his injuries and environmental exposure sometime later. A plastic bag of marijuana was on the pilot and two bags of marijuana were on the passenger. Toxicology reports of both the pilot and passenger were positive for tetrahdrocannabinol (the active substance in marijuana) and tetrahdrocannabinol carboxylic acid (an inactive metabolite of marijuana). It was not possible to determine exactly how long the pilot survived after the accident, and therefore, it was not possible to determine whether the pilot last used marijuana before or after the accident. A post accident examination revealed no evidence of premishap mechanical malfunction or failure of the engine and airframe. The density altitude at the accident site was calculated to be just over 6,000 feet.
Probable Cause: the pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance while flying in a box canyon.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20030312X00319&key=1
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 16 June 1991 | N9885J | Corporate Aircraft Service | 0 | Rifle, CO | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Dec-2017 18:03 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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