Cessna 182 N26617

Summary

On 2 March 2019 at about 00:21 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N26617 was involved in an accident near Louisburg, North Carolina, 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

2 March 2019 at 00:21

Classification

Accident

Location

Louisburg, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Triangle North Executive (LHZ)

Coordinates

36.0019, -78.3547

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N26617

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Louisburg → Hilton Head

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA19FA113

3 people died.

The pilot's spatial disorientation and loss of airplane control following takeoff in night instrument meteorological conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot had planned to conduct a personal, instrument flight rules (IFR) flight in night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The clearance that the pilot received from air traffic control stipulated that after departure, the airplane was to turn about 50° left of the runway heading. Radar data showed that the airplane instead climbed along the departure runway heading for about 1 minute, and witnesses described that the airplane entered IMC around 200 to 300 feet above the ground. When the airplane reached an altitude of about 860 ft above ground level (agl), it entered a right turn. The airplane reached the top of its climb about 930 ft agl, and continued a tightening right turn while descending at an estimated rate of about 6,000 feet per minute. The pilot did not contact air traffic control and radar contact was lost in the vicinity of the accident site. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. About 1 hour before the airplane departed, the pilot obtained an online weather briefing from a commercial vendor. The information in the briefing indicated that the airplane would be operating in IFR conditions with severe turbulence reported along the anticipated route of flight. The restricted visibility and low-level instrument meteorological conditions at night were conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. In addition, the airplane's flight track, which included altitude and directional changes that were inconsistent with the flight's clearance instructions, and the rapidly descending right turn, were consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. It is likely that the pilot developed spatial disorientation during the flight, which led to a loss of control. A sedating, over-the-counter antihistamine (Cetirizine) was found in postaccident toxicology specimens taken from the pilot; however, the levels of the drug measured were three times below the therapeutic level. Additionally, ethanol was also detected in the some of the pilot's blood specimens but was not detected in the pilot's brain or muscle specimens. As a result, the ethanol detected was most likely from sources other than ingestion; thus, the pilot's use of cetirizine and the identified ethanol did not contribute to this accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.