Cessna 182T N577TZ

Summary

On 24 May 2023 at about 16:01 local time, a Cessna 182T registered N577TZ, operated by Westbank Fishing LLC, was involved in an accident near Grand Isle, Louisiana, 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

24 May 2023 at 16:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Isle, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

29.2564, -89.9129

Aircraft

Cessna 182T

Registration

N577TZ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Westbank Fishing LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ocean Springs → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23FA201

1 person died.

The pilot’s operation of the airplane while intoxicated, resulting in its impact with the ocean.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Company information and ADS-B data indicated that the pilot performed several low-level flight maneuvers for about 3 hours that were consistent with aerial observation for fish spotting activities. A boat captain, who was in communication with the accident pilot regarding the fish spotting plans for the day, stated the pilot seemed upset, agitated, and discouraged during his radio communications, which he stated was abnormal for the pilot. Due to his concerns about the pilot’s attitude, the boat captain told the pilot to land and take a break. The pilot stated he was going to fly to the north, and there were no further communications with the pilot. The last ADS-B contact showed the airplane about 1.8 miles offshore on a southwest heading about 175 ft above the ocean water. There were no emergency or distress calls received from the accident airplane. Company personnel notified the US Coast Guard about a missing airplane and a search was initiated. The pilot’s body was located the following morning near a coastline, and about 1 week later the airplane was located by a fishing vessel and subsequently recovered. Damage to the airplane structure was consistent with the airplane impacting the water in an upright, slight nose-down attitude at a relatively slow airspeed. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological testing detected ethanol in all of the multiple tested postmortem specimens of the pilot. Although some of the detected ethanol may have been from sources other than alcohol consumption, based on the pattern of ethanol results and the pilot’s witnessed behavior, the pilot had likely consumed alcohol and was impaired by the effects of alcohol at the time of the accident. The pilot’s impairment due to the effects of alcohol likely precluded his ability to safely operate the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.