Cessna 182E N2988Y

Summary

On 25 February 2000 at about 01:45 local time, a Cessna 182E registered N2988Y was involved in an accident near El Prado, 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

25 February 2000 at 01:45

Classification

Accident

Location

El Prado, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Taos Municipal (SKX)

Coordinates

36.4698, -105.6192

Aircraft

Cessna 182E

Registration

N2988Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albuquerque → Taos

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

DEN00FA053

1 person died.

The pilot's improper preflight planning/preparation in that he initiated flight into known adverse weather, and continued VFR flight into IMC to the point where remedial action was not possible. Factors were the weather conditions that included snow, low ceiling, and obscuration, a dark night, and his overconfidence in his abilities. **This case was modified on February 27, 2008.**

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instrument rated private pilot received an in-person abbreviated weather briefing from the Albuquerque Flight Service Station (FSS), and local weather reports from a friend who lived near the Taos Municipal Airport via telephone and aircraft radio. FSS advised the pilot that VFR flight was not recommended due to mountain tops being obscured, turbulence, and icing conditions. His friend said it was snowing at his home. The pilot then filed a VFR flight plan for the dark night cross country flight, and departed Albuquerque for Taos. Later, he radioed his friend and told him that the snow had moved in behind him, he had the airport in sight, but was having difficulty maintaining visual contact with the runway lights because he was 'in and out of snow showers.' The airplane impacted terrain 1.5 miles east of the airport. Toxicological tests revealed that the pilot, a psychiatrist, had recently taken fluoxetine (also known by the trade name Prozac), a prescription antidepressant medication not approved for flight. **This case was modified on February 27, 2008.**

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.