VFR into IMC · NTSB ERA09FA185
CESSNA 182P — Carrollton, GA
| Date | March 8, 2009 |
| Location | Carrollton, GA |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 182P |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 51 |
| Pilot total time | 168 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | 126 hrs |
| Fatalities | 3 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Low visibility-Not specified
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusio-Spatial disorientation-Pilot - C
What happened
The non-instrument-rated pilot and two passengers departed under visual meteorological conditions and encountered instrument meteorological conditions while en route to their destination. A witness near the accident site stated she heard a "whining high speed sound" followed by a "thud." She noticed water splashing up from a lake, into the air, which was followed by silence. The airplane crashed into a private lake, and was located at a depth of approximately 16 feet and heavily fragmented, consistent with a high speed impact. Subsequent examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact abnormalities. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing prior to the flight. A witness near the accident site described the weather conditions at the time of the accident as "low cloud cover" with fog drifting across the surface of the lake, and "misty overcast." Another witness stated that conditions were "very foggy." The pilot had accumulated about 168 hours of total flight experience, which included about 70 hours as pilot-in-command, and 3.2 hours logged as "simulated instrument," and 0 hours logged in "actual instrument" meteorological conditions.