Cessna 172H N1416F

Summary

On 4 January 2011 at about 00:52 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N1416F was involved in an accident near Walnut Grove, Missouri, 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

4 January 2011 at 00:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Walnut Grove, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Springfield-Branson National (SGF)

Coordinates

37.4086, -93.4711

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N1416F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ft Leonard Wood → Bartlesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN11LA138

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's fatigue.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident occurred during the fourth leg of a visual flight rules cross-country flight. The pilot departed on the first leg of the trip shortly after sunrise, about 11 hours prior to the accident. The pilot made 3 intermediate stops during the day, where he purchased fuel. The accident flight was approximately 1 hour in duration and was conducted in night visual meteorological conditions. Radar track data depicted the airplane established on a west-southwest course and at a constant altitude. About 15 seconds prior to the accident, the airplane entered a descending left turn, and spiraled down, ultimately impacting an open field. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. Postmortem toxicology testing was consistent with the prior use of a prescription anti-anxiety medication and marijuana. Due to limited samples, a determination could not be made as to when the substances were last used. Accordingly, no determination was made as to whether the pilot was impaired at the time of the accident. While the departure from controlled flight suggested spatial disorientation, and the extended duration of the trip likely contributed to pilot fatigue, the exact nature of the loss of control could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.