ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 243378
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| Date: | Sunday 27 September 2020 |
| Time: | 07:03 |
| Type: |  Cessna T182T Turbo Skylane |
| Owner/operator: | Romeo Charlie LLC |
| Registration: | N157RC |
| MSN: | T18208491 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TIO-540-AKIA |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Santa Barbara, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA (SBA/KSBA) |
| Truckee Airport, CA (TKF/KTRK) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 27, 2020, at 0703 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Cessna T182T airplane, N157RC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Santa Barbara, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot departed about 10 minutes after sunrise for the cross-country flight destined for her home airport. As instructed by air traffic control (ATC), she departed on a westbound heading over the Pacific Ocean. About 1 minute after departure, at an altitude of 1,300 ft mean sea level (msl), the pilot acknowledged ATC instructions to turn right to a heading of 255° and climb to 8,000 ft. The pilot acknowledged the instruction, and radar data indicated the airplane initiated a turn to the right (west), followed by a turn to the north and a rapid descent to the water.
Examination of the airframe did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Although the engine was not recovered, the damage to the airframe was consistent with a high-speed impact.
The closest weather reporting station, located about 33 miles east-southeast of the accident location reported visibility of 7 statute miles and an overcast ceiling of 1,400 ft about 12 minutes before the accident. Additionally, an airman's meteorological information (AIRMET) for instrument flight rules conditions in mist and fog was active for the accident location and pilot reports (made in the area within a few hours of the accident) included references to instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) between 1,400 and 2,000 ft.
As the airplane began its turn to the west, the low sun angle and mist would have restricted forward visibility and identification of a visual horizon while operating over the ocean, and it is likely that the airplane entered IMC during the turn. The recorded radar data (showing the turn continuing beyond the assigned heading, tightening, and being accompanied by a rapid descent) were consistent with the pilot experiencing the effects of spatial disorientation.
Toxicology testing on the pilot revealed ethanol in postmortem cavity blood and spleen tissue; ethanol was not detected in urine, which is a specimen type that is generally less susceptible to postmortem microbial contamination and ethanol production. Although postmortem microbial activity does not always produce ethanol, in this case, the absence of ethanol in urine indicates that the ethanol detected in other specimen types did not likely come from ethanol consumption. Thus, ethanol was not likely a factor in the accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation after entering instrument meteorological conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/2020/09/27/crews-search-for-possible-downed-plane-in-ocean-off-goleta-beach-park/
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N157RC
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a0e5aa&lat=34.391&lon=-119.839&zoom=16.2&showTrace=2020-09-27
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N157RC
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
The NTSB is investigating the crash Sunday of a Cessna T182T in Santa Barbara, California. The NTSB is not traveling to the crash scene at this time.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) September 27, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2020 16:12 | MusicalFreedom | Added |
| 27-Sep-2020 18:16 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Source] |
| 27-Sep-2020 19:01 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 27-Sep-2020 19:02 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Other fatalities] |
| 27-Sep-2020 19:03 | harro | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 28-Sep-2020 01:48 | Captain Adam | Updated [Total fatalities, Embed code] |
| 28-Sep-2020 14:01 | Anon. | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 28-Sep-2020 15:27 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 07-Nov-2022 22:41 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
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