Cessna 205 N8324Z

Summary

On 28 July 2001 at about 16:45 local time, a Cessna 205 registered N8324Z, operated by George E. Nelson, was involved in an accident near De Queen, Arkansas, 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

28 July 2001 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

De Queen, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

33.9769, -94.2414

Aircraft

Cessna 205

Registration

N8324Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

George E. Nelson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oklahoma City → El Dorado

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01FA171

4 people died.

the pilot's VFR flight into IMC, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of aircraft control. A contributing factor to the accident was the pilot's lack of total instrument flight time.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight departed and was in cruise at 7,200 feet "above the cloud tops," receiving visual flight rules (VFR) flight following, when the pilot stated that he observed "holes in the cloud layer" and, subsequently, commenced a descent. Radar data revealed that the airplane was in a stable descent for 5 minutes. During the ensuing 7 final minutes of the flight, the airplane made multiple "S" patterns and its altitude varied between 3,400 feet and 2,600 feet. Witnesses observed the airplane fly in and out of the clouds and, subsequently, enter a spiraling descent prior to impacting the ground. The pilot received a weather briefing prior to the accident flight, during which the briefer advised the pilot of forecast conditions including, scattered clouds between three and five thousand feet, occasionally scattered to broken clouds between eight and ten thousand feet, a 30% chance of thunderstorms and rain showers, and possible lingering pockets of instrument flight rules (IFR) weather conditions. The closest weather observation facility (15 miles northwest of the accident site) reported broken cloud layers at 2,000 feet, 2,800 feet, and 3,500 feet, and a visibility of 10 miles near the time of the accident. The pilot held a private pilot certificate and was not instrument rated or pursuing an instrument rating at the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal operation of the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.