Cessna 172M N61582

Summary

On 23 November 2001 at about 10:40 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N61582 was involved in an accident near Barceloneta, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 November 2001 at 10:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Barceloneta, United States

Coordinates

18.4495, -66.5596

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N61582

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Juan → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA02LA031

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and an in flight collision with water. Contributing to the accident was the impairment of the pilot due to alcohol.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was performing left turns at an altitude of 900 feet, and when he tried to correct for a left bank, he was unable to do so. He said he was able to make pitch control changes, but was unable to recover from the left bank because the control had jammed. He said that the aircraft then entered a spin, and descended, crashing upside down into a lake. According to an FAA inspector who conducted the postcrash investigation, when he interviewed the pilot, the pilot said that the aircraft was at an altitude of about 700 to 900 feet, and his passenger who was seated in the front next to him, was asleep. The inspector said that the pilot further stated that during attempts to apply a control input to stop the left turn, the control yoke became jammed. The inspector said his examination of the accident aircraft showed that the impact had separated the wings from the rest of the fuselage, but that the flight control system exhibited damage consistent with overstress, and there was no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunction to the flight control system. Information provided by law enforcement officials showed that an aircraft had been observed at 200 feet, operating in an area consistent with where the accident aircraft was later found, and that the pilot exhibited a strong odor of alcohol, but refused requests that he submit to an alcohol test.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.