Pilot Debrief

CESSNA T182 near Houma, LA — 2020-10-16

Final reportCEN21LA018
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Date
2020-10-16
Location
Houma, LA, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA T182
Registration
N707DA
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

Impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined with the available information.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight with one passenger on board. Air traffic control and automatic dependent surveillance broadcast data indicated that the airplane departed and flew a northwest heading and climbed through 1,500 ft mean sea level (msl). The airplane turned left to a southeast heading and continued to climb through 1,700 ft before it started to descend. The last recorded location was about 1.86 miles from the accident site at an altitude of about 825 ft msl. The airplane impacted marshy terrain about 7 miles southwest of the departure airport. Ground scars at the accident site illustrated a straight path and were consistent with wings-level attitude at the time of impact. The ground scar continued for about 40 yards from the initial impact point towards and through a line of trees. The main wreckage came to rest on the opposite side of the trees and included the empennage, fuselage, and both wings. Damage to the airplane was consistent with a high energy impact. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Investigators were unable to determine the reason for the descent into terrain with the available information.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the flight after initial climb issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

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