CESSNA 182 — Cleveland, TN

What happened

The initial portion of the instrument flight rules cross-country flight was routine. The flight was established in cruise flight about 9,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The air traffic controller advised the pilot of an area of weather about 10 miles ahead and suggested deviating left of course. The pilot initially appeared to establish the course suggested by the controller, but shortly afterward advised the controller that he planned to proceed direct to the intended destination. The controller subsequently informed the pilot that he was entering an area of moderate to heavy precipitation that extended for about 20 miles. The controller approved deviating left or right of course. About three minutes later, the controller advised the pilot of heavy precipitation from the airplane’s current position eastbound and suggested a northbound course before proceeding eastbound to remain clear of the weather.

About five minutes before the accident, the airplane entered a left turn as the flight approached the weather. The pilot completed two full 360° turns during which the airplane altitude varied from approximately 8,700 ft msl to 9,300 ft msl.

About one minute before the accident, the pilot transmitted, “I’ve got control finally we were in a bit of a whirlwind.” The controller acknowledged, noted heavy precipitation to the north of the airplane’s position, and suggested a west heading. The pilot asked the controller to confirm the suggested heading, and the controller responded, “back to the west about a two seventy.” The pilot’s reply was not discernable, and no further communications were received.

About 30 seconds before the accident, the airplane entered a right turn from an approximate altitude of 9,075 ft msl. The airplane’s altitude increased to about 9,375 ft msl briefly before it entered a descent. The final data point was located about one-half mile from the accident site with a corresponding airplane altitude of 7,200 ft msl.

The airplane impacted trees and terrain. The airframe was fragmented consistent with a high-speed impact. The propeller blades were fractured and deformed consistent with engine power at impact. A postaccident examination did not identify any anomalies attributable to a preimpact failure or malfunction.

Weather data revealed an area of convective activity near the final segment of the flight. The airplane was in instrument meteorological conditions at the time of the loss of control.

Toxicology testing detected ethanol in one of the pilot’s muscle tissue samples but was not detected in another muscle tissue sample. Given that there was no ethanol detected in one of two muscle tissue samples, the identified ethanol was likely from sources other than ingestion. The antihistamines diphenhydramine and cetirizine and the muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine were detected in the pilot’s muscle tissue; no blood specimens were available for toxicology testing. Without blood levels, the investigation was unable to determine whether the effects from the pilot’s use of diphenhydramine, cetirizine, and cyclobenzaprine contributed to the accident.

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