Cessna 172M N174LL

Summary

On 31 December 2016 at about 04:49 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N174LL was involved in an accident near Open water, Hawaii, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 December 2016 at 04:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Open water, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

21.2306, -157.1856

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N174LL

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kaunakakai → Honolulu

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

WPR17FAMS2

3 people died.

Undetermined because the airplane was not located.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to a representative from the airplane rental facility, the noninstrument-rated pilot had departed on a cross-country flight. The pilot had received multiple weather reports from Lockheed Martin Flight Services, during which the weather briefer indicated that mountain obscuration and low ceilings existed along the flight route. Flightpath data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that, shortly after departure, the airplane flew to the northwest, directly into the area that was showing adverse weather conditions. Sometime later, radar data showed that the airplane began a descending right turn from about 2,525 ft mean sea level. The track ended less than 1 minute later over open water about 7 miles northwest of the departure airport. An alert notice was issued after an FAA air traffic control facility lost radar contact with the airplane. A search and rescue effort was initiated; however, the airplane and occupants were not found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.