# Accident 19990802011729A: Cessna 172P, Grants, NM, August 2, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 2, 1999, 22:00 local time - Place: Grants, NM - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Normal Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.1502° N, 107.8295° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1502&lon=-107.8295&mi=10 - Aircraft: N6497K, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6497K-2000-05-09) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172P (registry code 2072436, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P - Reported engine: LYC O320D2J - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 216 total, 216 in this make and model, 42 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99FA142](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99FA142) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990802011729A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (TTY) ACFT WAS MISSING SINCE 8/3/99 AND WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ALNOT, THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON 8/11/99 ON THE NORTH FACE OF MOUNT TAYLOR. THE PILOT/SOLE OCCUPANT SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED. OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. 10 N OF GRANTS, NM. (.19) ON AUGUST 2, 1999, AFTER 1820 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172P, N6497K, OPERATED BY ROBERTSON AVIATION, JENKS, OKLAHOMA, WAS REPORTED MISSING NEAR WINSLOW, OKLAHOMA, ON A FLIGHT FROM HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA, TO TULSA, OKLAHOMA, WHEN IT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR. ON AUGUST 11, 1999, ABOUT 1830, THE NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE FOUND THE AIRCRAFT ON MOUNT TAYLOR AT THE 10,600-FOOT LEVEL, NEAR GRANTS, NEW MEXICO. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY INFORMATION, THE PILOT STOPPED AT FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA, FOR FUEL AND WAS PLANNING ANOTHER FUEL STOP AT ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. CALCULATIONS PROVIDED INFORMATION THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED BETWEEN 1820 AND 2200 ON AUGUST 2, 1999. (-23) ON AUGUST 2, 1999, AFTER 1820 MDT, N6497K, A CESSNA 172P, OPERATED BY ROBERTSON AVIATION, LOCATED IN JENKS, OK., WAS REPORTED MISSING NEAR WINSLOW, ARIZONA, ON A FLIGHT FROM HAWTHORNE, CA. TO TULSA, OK, WHEN IT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR. ON AUGUST 11, 1999, ABOUT 1830, THE NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE FOUND THE A/C ON MOUNT TAYLOR AT THE 10600 FOOT LEVEL, NEAR GRANTS, NM. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES AND A/C WAS DESTROYED.THE A/C WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY INFORMATION, THE PILOT STOPPED AT FLAGSTAFF, AZ, FOR FUEL AND WAS PLANNING ANOTHER FUEL STOP IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM. CALCULATIONS PROVIDED INFORMATION THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED BETWEEN 1820 AND 2200 MDT ON AUGUST 2, 1999. (.4) ON AUGUST 2, 1999, BETWEEN 2020 AND 0004 ON AUGUST 3RD, MDT, A CESSNA 172P, N6497K, OPERATED BY ROBERTSON AVIATION, JENKS, OK. WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN NEAR GRANTS, NM, WHILE ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM HAWTHORNE, CA. TO TULSA, OK. THE PRIVATE CERTIFICATED INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT, WHO WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT, RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATING UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE AREA WHERE THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. ACCORDING TO DOCUMENTS PROVIDED BY THE FAA, THE PILOT'S FAMILY REPORTED THE A/C OVERDUE AT ITS DESTINATION ON AUGUST 4TH. AN ALERT NOTICE (ALNOT) WAS ISSUED AND SUBSEQUENTLY, A SEARCH WAS BEGUN FOR THE A/C IN THE AREA AROUND WINSLOW (INW) ARIZONA, WHICH WAS THE LAST CONFIRMED LOCATION OF THE A/C. RECONSTRUCTION OF PERTINENT PORTIONS OF THE FLIGHT PROVIDED INFORMATION THAT THE PILOT CONTACTED THE FLAGSTAFF AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER AT 1845 AND REPORTED HE WAS 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT INBOUND FOR LANDING. THE A/C LANDED AT 1901 AND TAXIED TO PARKING. FOLLWOING FUELING OF THE A/C, THE PILOT CALLED FLAGSTAFF GROUND CONTROL AT 1934 FOR TAXI. HE WAS TOLD TO TAXI TO RUNWAY 21 FOR DEPARTURE. AT 1938, THE A/C TOOK OFF, MADE A LEFT TURNOUT, AND DEPARTED THE AREA EASTBOUND. THE PILOT CONTACTED ALBUQUERQUE AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER (ABQ ARTCC) AT 1949 AND STATED HE WAS 12 MILES EAST OF FLAGSTAFF AT 9,500 FEET. HE REQUESTED FLIGHT FOLLOWING FOR A FLIGHT TO DOUBLE EAGLE (AEG) AIRPORT IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE CONTROLLER OBTAINED THE NECESSARY INFORMATION FROM THE PILOT TO SET UP FLIGHT FOLLOWING AND ASSIGNED A TRANSPONDER BEACON CODE OF 0752. THE CONTROLLER ESTABLISHED RADAR CONTACT, ISSUED THE INW ALTIMETER SETTING AND ADVISED THE PILOT THAT AT 9,500 FEET THE A/C WOULD HAVE INTERMITTENT RADAR CONTACT. AT 1952, THE CONTROLLER ADVISED THE PILOT THAT RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AND REQUESTED THE PILOT REPORT OVER OR ABEAM INW. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS INSTRUCTION, AND AT 2006 THE PILOT REPORTED THE FLIGHT WAS ABEAM INW. THE CONTROLLER ASKED THE PILOT TO "IDENT" FOLLOWED BY THE INFORMATION AT 2008, THAT RADAR CONTACT WAS STILL NOT ESTABLISHED AND THAT THE CONTROLLER WOULD KEEP THE PILOT ADVISED. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS INFORMATION. ## 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 DEN99FA142](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99FA142), Aug 3, 1999: Cessna 172P (N6497K), Grants, NM, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to fly the aircraft at an altitude sufficient to clear surrounding terrain. Factors were: The pilot's in-flight planning and decision making in proceeding into known adverse… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.