Controlled Flight Into Terrain · NTSB CEN14FA010
CESSNA 177 — Clayton, OK
| Date | October 18, 2013 |
| Location | Clayton, OK |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 177 |
| Purpose of flight | Business |
| Conditions | Night · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 54 |
| Pilot total time | 22,130 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 0 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
During a night flight, about 12:45 am, the airplane impacted tall trees in mountainous terrain; the damage to the trees and witness marks on the airplane were consistent with a wings-level impact followed by a postimpact fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a full moon was 63 degrees above the horizon at the time of the accident. The pilot had been flying since 10:00 am the day before the accident and had been awake for at least 17 hours at the time of the accident. The pilot's wife reported that the pilot often kept late hours and had done so for the past 20 years. An examination of the airplane, engine, and related systems revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Investigators were not able to determine why the airplane impacted mountainous terrain.