# Accident 19971224039559A: Cessna 172M, Monticello, UT, December 24, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 24, 1997, 19:16 local time
- Place: Monticello, UT
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.9809° N, 109.2896° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.9809&lon=-109.2896&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1596V, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1596V-2017-06-21) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M
- Reported engine: LYC O320E3D
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 63 total, 63 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW98LA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA075) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971224039559A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DISORIENTED PILOT HIT WIRES DURING LOW LEVEL FLYING. MINIMAL NIGHT EXPERIENCE AND 130LBS OF MARIJUANA ON BOARD. (.4)WHILE ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE NEWLY CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT BECAME LOST AND DISORIENTED AND FAILED TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSISTANCE BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.  DURING MANEUVERING FLIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF A CITY, HE FLEW THE AIRCRAFT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE GROUND AND STRUCK POWER LINES.  LIGHT CONDITION WAS NIGHT, AND VISIBILITY WAS 7 MILES.  APPROXIMATELY 200 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA WAS FOUND IN THE REAR SEAT OF THE AIRCRAFT BY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PILOT HAD 63 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME 3.2 HOURS OF WHICH WERE AT NIGHT.  HIS PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED LESS THAN 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, AND HE HAD NO PREVIOUS FLIGHT EXPERIENCE IN THE AREA WHERE THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW98LA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA075), Dec 24, 1997: Cessna 172M (N1596V), Monticello, UT, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude and clearance from obstacles. Also causal was the pilot becoming lost and disoriented. Contributing factors were his lack of familiarity with the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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