Cessna TR182 N6123T

Summary

On 25 May 2019 at about 13:23 local time, a Cessna TR182 registered N6123T was involved in an accident near St. Simons Island, Georgia, 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

25 May 2019 at 13:23

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Simons Island, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

31.2325, -81.3547

Aircraft

Cessna TR182

Registration

N6123T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1982

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Savannah → St. Simons Isla

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19FA179

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of airplane control during approach for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The cross-country flight proceeded uneventfully in good weather conditions until the airplane was about 5 miles from the destination airport. The airplane had descended gradually from an en route altitude of 4,000 to 1,700 ft mean sea level (msl) over a period of about 4 minutes. However, between 1,700 ft and the second-to-last radar target at 1,300 ft msl, and between that radar target and the final target at 900 ft msl, the airplane descended 400 ft in about 4 seconds between the targets. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a wooded area. The tree scars and the lack of a debris path at the accident site were consistent with a near-vertical descent. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The 80-year-old pilot had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which would not be considered impairing. Some plaques were found on the pilot's thoracic aorta during his autopsy, but, due to the pilot's extensive injuries, his heart was not available for examination to determine if he had any coronary artery disease. Thus, the investigation of this accident could not determine if the pilot's medical conditions contributed to the accident. Ethanol was detected in the pilot's muscle tissue. Given the lack of ethanol in the pilot's lung tissue and the presence of n-propanol in his muscle tissue, it is likely that some or all of the identified ethanol was from sources other than ingestion. Thus, the identified ethanol did not contribute to this accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.