Cessna 182F N3458U

Summary

On 22 March 1991 at about 15:00 local time, a Cessna 182F registered N3458U, operated by Arizona Air Enteprizes, was involved in an accident near Young, Arizona, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 March 1991 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Young, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

34.0793, -111.0092

Aircraft

Cessna 182F

Registration

N3458U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Arizona Air Enteprizes

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Showlow

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX91FA173

4 people died.

THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE IN-FLIGHT DECISION TO CONTINUE VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE RESULTING IN AN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

THIS WAS A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE DEPARTURE AND DESTINATION WERE VFR. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WERE FORECASTED ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. A SNOW STORM WAS REPORTED BY WITNESSES IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED TO BE ICING AND TURBULENCE, WITH MOUNTAINS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. THE AIRPLANE WAS REPORTED OVERDUE AND LOCATED 3 WEEKS LATER. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND TO HAVE IMPACTED SNOW COVERED TERRAIN, AT HIGH SPEED, IN A NEAR VERTICAL, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.