Cessna 172N N9885J

Summary

On 23 February 2003 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N9885J was involved in an accident near Ely, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 February 2003 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ely, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Ely Airport (Yelland Field) (ELY)

Coordinates

38.8172, -114.9097

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N9885J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rifle → Little River

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03FA100

2 people died.

the pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance while flying in a box canyon.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a cross-country flight in clear weather conditions, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain in a box canyon. The pilot and passenger were flying from Colorado to California. The airplane came to rest on a snowy slope of about 25 degrees on the south side of a canyon, about 300 to 400 feet below the top of the overlying ridgeline. The canyon was contoured in an east/west direction, with rising terrain to the west, north, and south. The energy path depicted in the ground scars and wreckage debris distribution was easterly, opposite the expected direction of flight and toward lower terrain. A study of weather conditions and satellite imagery showed that the skies were clear and visibilities unrestricted. Considering the mountainous terrain and winds aloft, light to moderate turbulence below 15,000 feet was possible. The pilot survived the accident but succumbed to his injuries and environmental exposure sometime later. A plastic bag of marijuana was on the pilot and two bags of marijuana were on the passenger. Toxicology reports of both the pilot and passenger were positive for tetrahdrocannabinol (the active substance in marijuana) and tetrahdrocannabinol carboxylic acid (an inactive metabolite of marijuana). It was not possible to determine exactly how long the pilot survived after the accident, and therefore, it was not possible to determine whether the pilot last used marijuana before or after the accident. A post accident examination revealed no evidence of premishap mechanical malfunction or failure of the engine and airframe. The density altitude at the accident site was calculated to be just over 6,000 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.