Cessna 172R N2435X

Summary

On 14 August 2010 at about 01:10 local time, a Cessna 172R registered N2435X, operated by Edgar H. Hinkle Jr., was involved in an accident near Key West, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 August 2010 at 01:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Key West, Florida, United States

Coordinates

24.5536, -81.7556

Aircraft

Cessna 172R

Registration

N2435X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Edgar H. Hinkle Jr.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Key West → Key West

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA10LA421

1 person was seriously injured.

The non-instrument-rated pilot's spatial disorientation during night, over-water, low-ambient-light conditions, which resulted in the airplane impacting the ocean.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated pilot performed a touch-and-go practice takeoff and landing at an airport located on an island at night. Thereafter, the flight continued over water at a low altitude. A pilot of a commercial flight inbound to the island observed the accident airplane on his traffic collision and avoidance system (TCAS) and additionally noticed the reflection of its landing light on the water. When the reflection disappeared, the TCAS contact also disappeared, likely due to the airplane impacting the water. After rescue, the pilot could not recall much of the event, but did remark that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the moon's phase was waxing crescent with 18 percent of the disk illuminated. Federal Aviation Administration Advisory 60-4A states that, "The attitude of an aircraft is generally determined by reference to the natural horizon or other references on the surface. If neither horizon nor surface references exist, the attitude of an aircraft must be determined by artificial means from the flight instruments. ...Spatial disorientation to a pilot means simply the inability to tell which way is up....Lack of natural horizon or surface reference is common on over water flights, at night, and especially at night in extremely sparsely populated areas, or in low visibility conditions."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.