Controlled Flight Into Terrain · NTSB WPR10FA018
CESSNA 182 — Pryor, MT
| Date | October 13, 2009 |
| Location | Pryor, MT |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 182 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 58 |
| Pilot total time | 726 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 170 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Weather planning-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Low ceiling-Not specified
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Low visibility-Not specified
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Mountainous/hilly terrain-Contributed to outcome
What happened
The pilot was returning to his departure airport. He contacted family members before his departure and indicated that his arrival would be delayed due to poor weather conditions along the route of flight. Review of the global positioning data obtained from a handheld global-positioning-system unit showed that the first portion of the pilot's route of flight was direct between his departure and destination, in a general west-northwesterly direction. Near the end of the flight the flight track showed a 360-degree turn to the right, followed by a path to the south, then 180-degrees to the north, followed by a turn to the south. The last data points showed a westerly track. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. While the weather at the accident site at the time of the accident included low clouds and low visibility with fog, the investigation was unable to conclusively determine if the flight cleared the lowest cloud ceiling.