Cessna 172P N98763

Summary

On 21 March 2022 at about 00:57 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N98763, operated by Civil Air Patrol Inc, was involved in an accident near Kekaha, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 March 2022 at 00:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Kekaha, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

22.0719, -159.7211

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N98763

Category

Airplane

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Civil Air Patrol Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lihue → Lihue

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC22LA025

2 people died.

The pilot’s improper decision to continue the visual-flight-rules flight into low visibility conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed on a visual-flight-rules flight to conduct a routine hurricane/tsunami warning mission. The standard flight route was to fly inland, passing a radar dome before turning west toward the coast. The airplane was then to fly offshore, following the coastline around the island. Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) data showed the airplane never made the turn to the coast and it continued over land and up a ridgeline. The airplane impacted a near-vertical mountain side in a nose-up, wings-level attitude. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane, but they were unable to see it due to the poor visibility near the accident site. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed leading edge damage to both wings indicative of a controlled flight into terrain. An examination of the available wreckage did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal operation of the flight controls. Although several engine components were not located at the accident site, witnesses reported hearing the engine operating up to the time of impact. Toxicology testing of the pilot’s blood detected the presence of gabapentin, which can produce impairing effect such as sleepiness, dizziness, and/or diminished coordination. However, if the pilot’s judgment was impaired, the copilot could have mitigated his improper decision making. Thus, it is unlikely that gabapentin’s effects on the pilot contributed to the accident. Based on the level attitude of the airplane when it impacted the rising terrain, it is likely the pilot had control of the airplane and flew into terrain that was obscured by the poor visibility.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.