ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 189621
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| Date: | Saturday 27 August 2016 |
| Time: | 20:15 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172R Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | New Orleans Aerial Air Tours |
| Registration: | N984RA |
| MSN: | 17280094 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1997 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6153 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lake Ponchatrain, New Orleans, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | New Orleans, LA (KNEW) |
| New Orleans, LA (KNEW) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Shortly after sunset, the pilot with two passengers departed on a local sightseeing flight of the city. The flight flew around the city, then proceeded back to the airport after civil twilight. The final portion of the flight and the landing approach were conducted over a lake. A review of radar's last return revealed the airplane about 0.6 miles from the airport at an altitude of 100 ft agl. The surviving passenger reported everything appeared normal during the flight, and as they neared the airport, it started to rain, and visibility was poor. The pilot pointed out 4 four red lights ahead of the airplane and stated to the passengers that was the airport. The passenger added that she could see out the side window and the airplane was about 4-6 ft above the surface of the lake. Shortly thereafter, the airplane impacted the lake.
Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A review of weather information noted the presence of thunderstorm activity and isolated rain showers in the area at the time of the accident.
The pilot's toxicology report was positive for ethanol and clomipramine. Due to a delay in the recovery, it is likely that most, if not all, of the ethanol was from postmortem production. Clomipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant used to treat symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clomipramine is not considered impairing. Additionally, the pilot's actions and communication with the passengers also indicate that the pilot did not experience a seizure or incapacitation, so a reaction to his medication was not likely.
With reduced visibility due to rain and night conditions, it is unlikely the pilot could see the water. The four red lights, consistent with the runway's precision approach path indicator (PAPI) that the pilot pointed out to the passengers, reflected the airplane's low approach path. The accident is consistent with the pilot continuing the descent, while already below a normal approach path to the airport, which resulted in the controlled flight into terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper decision to continue a descent during a night visual approach a for landing which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the reduced visibility and pilot's disregard of the PAPI indications that the airplane's approach path was excessively low.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N984RA
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/200669-0268a3e02d9098a54e53cdc3db4192d3ca3f94c9/aircrafttype/C172
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Aug-2016 08:11 | gerard57 | Added |
| 29-Aug-2016 14:38 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source] |
| 29-Aug-2016 17:02 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location] |
| 30-Aug-2016 15:55 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Jul-2018 13:17 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
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