CESSNA 172 — Panguitch, UT

What happened

The noninstrument-rated private pilot was making a 220-nautical mile (nm) cross-country flight under visual flight rules over mountainous terrain in dark night instrument meteorological conditions. Radar data revealed that the airplane was flying in a northwest direction, proceeding en route between 9,100 ft and 9,900 ft mean sea level (msl). The last radar return, which occurred about 1 hour after takeoff, showed that the airplane was about 80 nm northwest of the departure airport and about 3 nm southeast of the accident site. A short time later the airplane impacted remote, snow-covered, mountainous terrain on a southwest heading at an elevation of 7,350 ft. The changes in heading and altitude between the end of the radar data and the impact suggest that the pilot began maneuvering the airplane after radar contact was lost. A survey of the accident site revealed that the damage to the airplane and the linear debris path was consistent with controlled flight into terrain. All airplane components necessary for flight were accounted for at the accident site. Additionally, a post-accident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal evidence of any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather surveillance radar revealed an area of snow showers over the accident site, and an infrared satellite image depicted a band of low stratiform clouds over the accident site with tops near 14,000 ft msl. The cloud bases were estimated at 8,700 ft msl.  A meteorological impact statement for the area warned of marginal visual flight rules to instrument flight rules conditions in snow showers. Dark nighttime conditions existed with no illumination of the moon at the time of the accident. The area surrounding the accident site was uninhabited, and there would have been no ground lighting visible to the pilot. It is likely that the airplane encountered instrument meteorological conditions (the band of clouds), and the pilot descended and turned to exit the cloud layer but was unable to establish visual contact with the ground before impacting terrain in the dark nighttime conditions.

There was no record of the pilot getting an official weather briefing. If he had gotten a briefing, he would have been told "VFR not recommended" and this may have prevented the accident.

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