Cessna 177 N3459T

Summary

On 22 November 2007 at about 19:30 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N3459T, operated by Sierra Vista Aviation, was involved in an accident near Auburn, California, 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

22 November 2007 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Auburn, California, United States

Nearest airport

Auburn (AUN)

Coordinates

38.9625, -121.0681

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N3459T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Sierra Vista Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Auburn → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA08FA036

2 people died.

The pilot failed to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern for landing, which resulted in a stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment during the flight from the effects of over-the-counter medications.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger had been on a local area personal flight that had lasted about 1.8 hours, and were returning to the departure airport. The airplane entered the traffic pattern and as it was on the base leg, the airspeed slowed, and witnesses indicated that it appeared to be at a high angle of attack. The airplane stalled, rolled into a spin, and collided with trees and terrain. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies was discovered. Serious carburetor icing conditions at glide power existed at the time of the accident; however, whether or not the pilot encountered carburetor icing could not be determined with the available evidence. The pilot had limited experience operating at the airport, and in the accident airplane make and model. The toxicological tests were positive for brompheniramine and diphenhydramine. Brompheniramine and diphenhydramine are sedating antihistamines with adverse effects on performance, and often used to treat allergy symptoms. Although the toxicological test result levels were different between the Federal Aviation Administration laboratory and the local toxicological testing, both results were consistent with recent ingestion of a medication containing brompheniramine, which most likely impaired the pilot's judgment and performance of complex cognitive and motor tasks during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.