Quest KODIAK 100 N772RT

Summary

On 12 December 2016 at about 12:37 local time, a Quest KODIAK 100 registered N772RT, operated by Aerowest Aviation, was involved in an accident near Moab, Utah, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 December 2016 at 12:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Moab, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Canyonlands Field Airport (CNY)

Coordinates

38.7531, -109.7528

Aircraft

Quest KODIAK 100

Registration

N772RT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Aerowest Aviation

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Moab → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

WPR17FA035

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of control shortly after takeoff due to spatial disorientation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was departing on a routine positioning flight in dark night visual meteorological conditions. Footage from a security camera at the airport showed the airplane take off normally and initiate a right turn, which was the established direction of traffic for the takeoff runway. The airplane continued the right turn, then entered an increasingly rapid descent and subsequently impacted terrain about 1 mile southwest from the airport.  The wreckage distribution was consistent with a high-energy impact. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Autopsy and toxicology testing of the pilot did not reveal any evidence of impairment or incapacitation. Visual conditions prevailed in the area at the time of the accident; however, the setting Moon was obscured by cloud cover, and the airport was located in an area of remote, sparsely-populated high desert terrain. This would have resulted in few visual references to which the pilot could have oriented the airplane. Although the pilot had experience operating in this environment in night conditions and held an instrument rating, the circumstances of the accident are consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. The investigation could not determine the initiating event which led to the pilot's mismatch between the airplane's perceived and actual attitude; however, he likely experienced a sensory illusion as a result of spatial disorientation, which led to a loss of control. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.