ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 276727
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| Date: | Sunday 20 March 2022 |
| Time: | 13:57 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 172P Skyhawk II |
| Owner/operator: | Civil Air Patrol Inc |
| Registration: | N98763 |
| MSN: | 17276344 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5463 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kekaha, Kauai, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Kauai Island/Lihue Airport, HI (LIH/PHLI) |
| Kauai Island/Lihue Airport, HI (LIH/PHLI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane departed on a visual-flight-rules flight to conduct a routine hurricane/tsunami warning mission. The standard flight route was to fly inland, passing a radar dome before turning west toward the coast. The airplane was then to fly offshore, following the coastline around the island.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) data showed the airplane never made the turn to the coast and it continued over land and up a ridgeline. The airplane impacted a near-vertical mountain side in a nose-up, wings-level attitude. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane, but they were unable to see it due to the poor visibility near the accident site.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed leading edge damage to both wings indicative of a controlled flight into terrain. An examination of the available wreckage did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal operation of the flight controls. Although several engine components were not located at the accident site, witnesses reported hearing the engine operating up to the time of impact.
Toxicology testing of the pilot's blood detected the presence of gabapentin, which can produce impairing effect such as sleepiness, dizziness, and/or diminished coordination. However, if the pilot's judgment was impaired, the copilot could have mitigated his improper decision making. Thus, it is unlikely that gabapentin's effects on the pilot contributed to the accident.
Based on the level attitude of the airplane when it impacted the rising terrain, it is likely the pilot had control of the airplane and flew into terrain that was obscured by the poor visibility.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper decision to continue the visual-flight-rules flight into low visibility conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ANC22LA025
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=98763
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N98763
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 24 March 1987 | N98763 | Golden Gate Aviation | 0 | Neosho, MO | |
min |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Mar-2022 15:18 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 21-Mar-2022 18:56 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Mar-2022 02:59 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Source, Category] |
| 29-Mar-2022 22:12 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 01-Apr-2022 15:01 | aaronwk | Updated [Narrative] |
| 15-Jun-2023 04:44 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Narrative]] |
| 26-Oct-2023 06:51 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [[[Narrative]]] |
| 26-Oct-2023 06:55 | harro | Updated [[[[Narrative]]]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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