Cessna 182 N5530B

Summary

On 16 December 1991 at about 12:40 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N5530B, operated by Marcel Beuden, was involved in an accident near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 December 1991 at 12:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Teresa, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

31.8393, -106.6809

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N5530B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Marcel Beuden

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Teresa → Tucson

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW92FA048

1 person died.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT, PILOT'S APPREHENSION, PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, POOR INSTRUMENT LOCATION, VISUAL PERCEPTION AND INADEQUATE COCKPIT LIGHTING.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

DURING A DARK NIGHT FLIGHT THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT DEPARTED FROM AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT FROM A RUNWAY THAT PLACED THE INITIAL CLIMB AND CRUISE OVER DARK DESERT TERRAIN. A RELATIVE OF THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT LIKE NIGHT FLYING AND CONSIDERED SUCH FLYING UNSAFE IN THE SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE. SEVERAL PILOTS, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN THE AIRPLANE, REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FLY AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR AND THE COCKPIT LIGHTS. WITNESSES INDICATED THAT THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED SEVERAL NIGHT TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS THE NIGHT BEFORE THIS FLIGHT; HOWEVER, THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK SHOWED .4 HOUR OF NIGHT TIME LOGGED DURING THE LAST 18 MONTHS PREVIOUS TO THIS FLIGHT. IMPACT OCCURRED INVERTED RIGHT WING TIP FIRST AND THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS 245 FEET LONG. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE DISCOVERED. TOXICOLOGICAL TESTS REVEALED A 17% SATURATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.