CESSNA 182R — Lexington, OR

What happened

The pilot was returning to his home airport during dark night conditions with 0 percent moon illumination. The passenger reported that he had been resting during the flight until the pilot announced that they were approaching the airport. The passenger stated that the airplane was on a 5-mile base leg and that they could see the runway lights when the airplane unexpectedly hit the ground. The passenger reported that he did not hear the pilot make any warning comments. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

A review of recorded radar data indicated that the airplane had attained a maximum altitude of 4,400 ft as it tracked toward the destination airport, which has an elevation of 1,634 ft. The airplane then began a gradual descent; the last radar target showed the airplane at 2,300 ft near the accident site, which was at an elevation of 2,262 ft and was located high on a ridge in the middle of a wheat field. The debris path was about 486 ft long. Although the pilot could see the runway lights in the distance, it is likely that, due to the lack of illumination, he failed to maintain situational awareness of the hilly terrain that was higher than the airport.

The passenger sustained serious injuries. The pilot was conscious after the accident, and he told the passenger that he was trapped in the wreckage and could not get free. The passenger subsequently went for help, and, after 4 hours, he located a house and reported the accident. A search had already been initiated about 2 hours earlier because the airplane had been reported overdue. The wreckage was located shortly after the passenger reported the accident. By the time first responders arrived on site, the pilot had succumbed to his injuries.

A review of the pilot's medical history indicated that he was apparently in good health. Toxicology tests detected the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine in the pilot's urine, which precluded it from having any ongoing systemic effects on the pilot's performance. The pilot's injuries, which included blunt force head and chest trauma, were not immediately fatal, and it is possible he could have survived for hours. The cold weather likely contributed to the development of acidosis due to the severity of the pilot's injuries and may have further impeded his ability to breathe.

The only emergency locator transmitter (ELT) device on board the airplane broadcast an emergency signal on 121.5 and 243.0 MHz. The ELT was functional, but no pilots reported hearing an emergency beacon following the accident. Further, the International Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system has not monitored ELTs operating on 121.5 and 243.0 MHz since February 2009. Therefore, with the ELT that was on board the airplane, the injured pilot could not have been located any faster than the 4-hour response time that occurred after the injured passenger notified local authorities about the accident. The pilot's injuries led to his death within this time period.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-SARSAT reported that, if a 406-MHz ELT had survived the crash and activated properly, it could have provided a first alert within minutes to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and an accurate location within 90 minutes. Further, if the ELT had GPS capabilities, the location of the accident site could also have been identified within minutes. An earlier notification would have significantly reduced the emergency response time and increased the chances of the pilot's survival.

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