20000922015069A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 182G · Tuba City, AZ · September 22, 2000

Date: September 22, 2000 · 20:43 local
Place: Tuba City, AZ
Airport: Tuba City Airport
Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N3103S
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX00FA346
Reported as: Cessna 182G
Reported engine: Continental O470R
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,454 total3 in the last 90 days

N3103SRegistration cancelled Feb 27, 2001 · Cessna 182GS/N 18255603 Airframe modelCessna 182G

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23)No narrative (.4) the pilot had volunteered the use of his airplane for the flights for life, inc. organization, and was transporting blood to an indian reservation airport. According to a courier for the hospital, the airplane was to arrive about 2035. The courier arrived about 2025, and about 2030, the pilot-operated runway lights came on. Within 3 to 5 minutes the courier saw an airplane's lights heading toward the airport. The airplane flew from south to north; she estimated about two telephone poles above the airport, continued north, and did not land. The courier estimated that the winds, which were rocking her car, were from the west. After waiting some period of time, she advised the hospital that the airplane did not arrive and she departed. She said the winds were calm at the time of her departure. The airplane was located the next day on the downwind leg in mountainous/hilly terrain. It was a dark night with few ground references.

As the FAA filed it

(-23)NO NARRATIVE (.4) THE PILOT HAD VOLUNTEERED THE USE OF HIS AIRPLANE FOR THE FLIGHTS FOR LIFE, INC. ORGANIZATION, AND WAS TRANSPORTING BLOOD TO AN INDIAN RESERVATION AIRPORT. ACCORDING TO A COURIER FOR THE HOSPITAL, THE AIRPLANE WAS TO ARRIVE ABOUT 2035. THE COURIER ARRIVED ABOUT 2025, AND ABOUT 2030, THE PILOT-OPERATED RUNWAY LIGHTS CAME ON. WITHIN 3 TO 5 MINUTES THE COURIER SAW AN AIRPLANE'S LIGHTS HEADING TOWARD THE AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE FLEW FROM SOUTH TO NORTH; SHE ESTIMATED ABOUT TWO TELEPHONE POLES ABOVE THE AIRPORT, CONTINUED NORTH, AND DID NOT LAND. THE COURIER ESTIMATED THAT THE WINDS, WHICH WERE ROCKING HER CAR, WERE FROM THE WEST. AFTER WAITING SOME PERIOD OF TIME, SHE ADVISED THE HOSPITAL THAT THE AIRPLANE DID NOT ARRIVE AND SHE DEPARTED. SHE SAID THE WINDS WERE CALM AT THE TIME OF HER DEPARTURE. THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED THE NEXT DAY ON THE DOWNWIND LEG IN MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY TERRAIN. IT WAS A DARK NIGHT WITH FEW GROUND REFERENCES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX00FA346Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportTuba City, AZthe pilot's inadvertent descent into terrain on the downwind leg for landing. Contributing to the accident was the dark night and sparse population.Sep 23, 2000 · Destroyed