ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 139760
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 6 November 2011 |
| Time: | 18:53 |
| Type: |  Cessna 182Q Skylane |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4701N |
| MSN: | 18267292 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 10714 hours |
| Engine model: | Teledyne Continental O-470-U |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Rawhide Mountain Wilderness near Alamo Lake, Arizona -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Glendale, AZ (GEU) |
| Lake Havasu, AZ (HII) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The non-instrument rated pilot was flying home after watching a football game. Because the game continued into overtime, the flight home occurred later than the pilot expected and involved flying at night. The pilot had obtained a weather briefing earlier that morning and was aware that a storm was due to arrive in the area about the time the return flight took place. At the time of the accident, visual meteorological weather conditions existed at all area airports; however, it was raining and clouds were present at the pilot’s intended cruise altitude during portions of the return flight.
According to global positioning system data, the flight appeared to progress normally until about halfway along the planned route when the airplane suddenly descended about 1,000 feet, presumably to avoid clouds. A short time later, the airplane began a series of altitude and airspeed oscillations, which ultimately resulted in a rapidly descending turn into terrain. The debris field length and orientation were consistent with a loss of airplane control, with the airplane striking the ground inverted and at high speed. All sections of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site, and postaccident examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot had flown the same route at night on four previous occasions, the most recent of which was 2 weeks before the accident; however, clear skies and unlimited visibilities existed for each of the previous flights. According to weather data, on the night of the accident, the moon was obscured by cloud, and therefore would have provided no visual reference. In addition, most of the accident flight occurred over uninhabited desert terrain, so limited ground references would have been available.
Probable Cause: The pilot's continued cruise flight into cloudy conditions at night, which resulted in a loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Nov-2011 01:37 | gerard57 | Added |
| 10-Nov-2011 04:19 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Nov-2011 04:54 | gerard57 | Updated [Narrative] |
| 20-Nov-2011 03:06 | Anon. | Updated [Date] |
| 09-Dec-2011 01:41 | Geno | Updated [Date, Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 28-Feb-2017 16:17 | PiperOnslaught | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation