ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44604
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| Date: | Friday 31 December 2004 |
| Time: | 18:35 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172 Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N6225E |
| MSN: | 46325 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1959 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3800 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-300 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Knottsville, KY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Gonzales, LA (L38) |
| Paoli, IN (I42) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot departed on the 550-mile trip with an unknown quantity of fuel in visual meteorological conditions. He had 125 total hours of flight experience, and did not possess an instrument rating. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing, nor did he file a flight plan. About 4 hours into the flight, and during the hours of darkness, the pilot reported that the airplane was in instrument meteorological conditions, and requested assistance from air traffic control. The conversation between the pilot and the controller continued for several minutes as they discussed weather conditions at various destinations along and around the pilot's intended course. During the conversations, the airplane completed a series of left and right 360-degree turns, and figure-8 maneuvers, as the airplane climbed and descended between 7,000 feet and 10,200 feet. As the airplane continued to circle, the controller issued a heading and suggested the pilot check his heading indicator in relation to his magnetic compass. The pilot replied, "...we're trying to keep it under control and get back to the stars here so we got a reference point." Over the next 5 minutes, the airplane completed three 360-degree right turns. The final radar plots depicted a descending turn to the right, about 9,800 feet, and then the target disappeared. Examination of the wreckage at the scene revealed no mechanical anomalies.
Probable Cause: the pilot's loss of control in flight due to spatial disorientation. Also causal to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in his inadvertent flight into night instrument meteorological conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20050128X00117&key=1
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] |
| 07-Dec-2017 18:35 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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