Cessna 172M N4395R

Summary

On 29 December 2017 at about 21:41 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N4395R was involved in an accident near Ogden, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 December 2017 at 21:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Ogden, Utah, United States

Coordinates

41.3300, -112.6636

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N4395R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ogden → Ogden

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18FA063

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the water while flying over a lake with glassy surface conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's use of three impairing medications.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot and private pilot-rated passenger departed on a local flight in day visual meteorological conditions and climbed to a peak altitude about 2,370 ft above ground level. The airplane then entered a gradual, wings-level descent during which it began to fly over a large lake. The airplane impacted the water and subsequently sank.  The airplane was mostly intact and exhibited no evidence of mechanical failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the condition of the airplane, flight track, altitude data, and the proximity to land, it is likely that the pilot intentionally descended the airplane to low altitude over the lake. It is also likely that the lake exhibited a glassy surface due to low wind conditions about the time of the accident, which would have reduced depth perception and made it difficult for the pilot to judge the airplane's height above the water. Additionally, toxicology of the pilot revealed the presence of three different impairing medications. It is likely that he was experiencing combined adverse effects of these three central nervous system depressants, which contributed to his failure to maintain clearance from the water while performing low-altitude flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.