Cessna 182 N3371U

Summary

On 22 December 2019 at about 01:22 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N3371U was involved in an accident near Goodyear, Arizona, 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

22 December 2019 at 01:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Goodyear, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Goodyear (GYR)

Coordinates

33.3972, -112.3983

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N3371U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR20FA049

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines due to his impairment from cannabis.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed his home airport about an hour after sunset for a flight to test the automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast system that had been recently updated on the airplane. Radar data indicated the airplane flew for about 4 minutes on a southwest heading then flew a figure-eight pattern before heading back toward the airport on a northeast heading. The airplane appeared to be on approach to the airport when it impacted umarked and unlit high-tension power lines about 1 mile south of the airport. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicology results suggest the pilot had recently used cannabis based on the relative ratios of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (the main psychoactive component in cannabis) and its metabolites. Specific performance effects of cannabis include decreased ability to concentrate and maintain attention. Impairment in retention time and tracking, subjective sleepiness, distortion of time and distance, vigilance, and loss of coordination in divided attention tasks have been reported. The specific impairing effects from the pilot’s recent use of cannabis likely included impaired judgment and slowed reaction time, which contributed to his unsafe altitude while still 1 mile from the runway, resulting in the impact with the power lines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.