Cessna 172N N7582D

Summary

On 6 February 2012 at about 00:06 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N7582D was involved in an accident near Fresno, California, 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

6 February 2012 at 00:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Fresno, California, United States

Coordinates

36.8089, -119.9242

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N7582D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Byron Airport → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA093

1 person died.

The non-certificated pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to performance-impairing drugs.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness reported that he observed the airplane flying about the height of nearby power lines and that the engine was sputtering. The airplane then banked right and impacted the power lines before falling to the ground. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The non-certificated pilot was flying the airplane, which had been reported stolen. The pilot’s toxicology results indicated that methamphetamine and amphetamines were detected in the pilot’s blood and liver specimens. (Local authorities also reported finding a plastic bag containing “crystal meth” in the accident airplane.) Both detected drug quantities were above therapeutic levels and likely contributed to the pilot’s performance and failure to maintain sufficient clearance from the power lines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.