Cessna 172S N542SP

Summary

On 16 December 2005 at about 00:52 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N542SP was involved in an accident near Hana, Hawaii, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 December 2005 at 00:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Hana, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

20.7769, -156.0675

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N542SP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kahului Airport → Hana

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06FA059

1 person died.

Collision with mountainous terrain for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted steep rising terrain in a near vertical angle at an elevation of 2,300 feet mean sea level. The pilot had been vacationing in the area, and received a check-out in the accident airplane about 3 weeks prior to the accident. The pilot advised flight school personnel that he would be flying to a local airport and returning to the departure airport that evening. A local helicopter pilot spotted the burning wreckage and notified emergency personnel. The helicopter pilot noted that the skies were clear and there was no turbulence. Investigators examined the wreckage following its recovery from the accident site. No mechanical malfunctions were noted with the airframe controls or the engine during the detailed examination. The pilot began flying about 30 years prior to the accident and then stopped. About 3 years prior to the accident, the pilot began flying again.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.