Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182 near Pryor, MT — 2009-10-13

Final reportWPR10FA018
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Date
2009-10-13
Location
Pryor, MT, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 182
Registration
N6202A
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to continue flight into an area of low ceilings and low visibility and his failure to maintain clearance from terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was returning to his departure airport. He contacted family members before his departure and indicated that his arrival would be delayed due to poor weather conditions along the route of flight. Review of the global positioning data obtained from a handheld global-positioning-system unit showed that the first portion of the pilot's route of flight was direct between his departure and destination, in a general west-northwesterly direction. Near the end of the flight the flight track showed a 360-degree turn to the right, followed by a path to the south, then 180-degrees to the north, followed by a turn to the south. The last data points showed a westerly track. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. While the weather at the accident site at the time of the accident included low clouds and low visibility with fog, the investigation was unable to conclusively determine if the flight cleared the lowest cloud ceiling.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to delay departure due to poor weather conditions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 31 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents31

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