Piper PA-24-250 N5158P

Summary

On 10 August 2014 at about 10:17 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N5158P, operated by Christopher Cyphers, was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

10 August 2014 at 10:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Big Lake Airport (PAGQ)

Coordinates

61.3239, -149.4900

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N5158P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1958

Operator

Christopher Cyphers

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Big Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ANC14FA062

1 person died.

The pilot's impairment due to alcohol consumption, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The passenger reported that, before departing for the short personal flight to the private pilot's residence, she and the pilot went to dinner and then a local bar. They then departed, and she remembered hitting something like a "bump" while the airplane was on approach to the destination airport, but she could not recall anything else about the accident sequence due to her injuries. Dark night conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The passenger reported no mechanical problems with the airplane, and the pilot did not mention any mechanical problems during the flight. The airplane wreckage was found alongside a road adjacent to the destination airport. An area believed to be the initial impact site had two broken 40-ft-high treetops located about 50 ft south of the extended runway centerline and 830 ft from the runway threshold. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological testing detected levels of ethanol in the pilot's blood equivalent to a 0.192 percent blood alcohol concentration, which is 4.5 times greater than the regulatory limit for pilots. Slightly higher alcohol levels were detected in the pilot's vitreous samples, which is consistent with his recent ingestion of sufficient alcohol to cause impairment. Therefore, the pilot's impairment led to his inability to safety operate the airplane, and he failed to maintain clearance from trees during the approach to the airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.