ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 143751
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| Date: | Wednesday 15 February 2012 |
| Time: | 01:54 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N665SP |
| MSN: | 172S8069 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5477 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360-L2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Western face of Mount Si, 1.75 statute miles east North Bend, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Renton, WA (RNT) |
| Renton, WA (RNT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During the local flight, which took place in dark night visual meteorological conditions, several witnesses reported observing the airplane’s lights at a low altitude and hearing the airplane’s engine running before the sound of impact. One witness, a certificated pilot, estimated that when he saw the airplane there was an overcast layer of clouds about 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl) with some lower level clouds and patchy areas of fog. Recorded radar data showed the flight departing the airport and ascending to an altitude of about 2,400 feet msl while traveling in a northeasterly direction. The data subsequently showed that the airplane descended on an east-southeasterly heading to an altitude of about 1,500 feet msl before radar contact was lost. The last recorded radar target was about 6 miles northwest of the accident site, which was located at an elevation of about 1,958 feet msl. The terrain along the pilot’s route of flight ranged between about 500 and 1,000 feet msl; the accident occurred as the airplane approached an area of rising (mountainous) terrain. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicology tests of the pilot revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 154 mg/dl. Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit operation of an airplane by persons with blood alcohol concentrations exceeding 40.0 mg/dL. It is likely that the pilot was impaired during the flight, which affected his ability to operate the airplane and maintain clearance from terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's physical impairment due to alcohol, which adversely affected his ability to operate the airplane and to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain while operating in dark night conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Feb-2012 22:50 | RobertMB | Added |
| 16-Feb-2012 08:34 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 16-Feb-2012 08:46 | Alpine Flight | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location] |
| 16-Feb-2012 08:50 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 16-Feb-2012 08:59 | RobertMB | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Feb-2012 12:12 | JMGilday | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Feb-2012 02:23 | JMGilday | Updated [Narrative] |
| 28-Feb-2012 13:11 | Geno | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:19 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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