CESSNA 182Q — Hackberry, LA

What happened

The private pilot, who had recently purchased a share of the accident airplane, and a flight instructor were conducting a local flight to practice maneuvers. Just before the accident, the airplane reached about 4,500 ft above ground level and the airspeed steadily decreased. The airplane began a slow descent, which increased rapidly until the final recorded point. In the last 18 seconds of recorded data, the airplane made a right turn and descended about 11,250 ft per minute.

Witnesses close to the accident site but at different locations, reported that they observed the airplane come straight down, nose first to the ground. One witness reported that no smoke was coming from the airplane, and he never saw the cockpit. Both witnesses reported the engine was loud.

The airplane impacted soft, muddy terrain and the main wreckage, including the engine, propeller, fuselage, and empennage, was embedded about 15 ft deep. A debris field that consisted of the wings and smaller airplane components extended about 40 yards from the crater. A postaccident examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any preimpact anomalies, although the examination was limited due to the extensive damage. Due to the propeller damage and the high-speed impact with terrain, it is likely that the engine was operating at a high-power setting during the accident sequence.

Due to the limited medical evidence, whether a medical condition or effects from a substance contributed to this accident could not be determined.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.