CEN16FA169

The pilot was conducting a personal flight under day visual meteorological conditions. Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control (ATC) radar data depicted the airplane about 0.5 mile northwest of the departure airport. It proceeded on a northeasterly course toward the destination airport and subsequently turned to the southeast before becoming established on a southwesterly course. After proceeding about 3 miles, the airplane reversed to a northwesterly course, and ultimately turned to a southwesterly course. The airplane impacted a wooded ravine about 0.5 mile south of the final radar data point. Variations in the airplane's groundspeed and altitude during the maneuvers was consistent with controlled and powered flight. There were no witnesses to the accident. The site was ultimately located about 5 days after the accident following a ground search based, in part, on ATC radar data. An examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. Toxicology testing found no drugs, and the presence of ethanol in urine but not blood suggests that the ethanol was from sources other than ingestion.

According to FAA registration records, the pilot purchased the accident airplane in March 1976. Airplane maintenance records were not available to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The pilot's logbook included a notation, "ann[u]al due 6-15-16." A local mechanic reported performing an annual inspection on the airplane in June 2015. On April 24, 2016, about 1815 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182L airplane, N42411, was substantially damaged during an in-flight collision with trees and terrain near Carrollton, Ohio. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Carroll County – Tolson Airport (TSO), Carrollton, Ohio, about 1800. The intended destination was the Salem Airpark (38D), Salem, Ohio. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control radar data depicted an aircraft about 0.5 mile northwest of TSO at 1801:58. The aircraft proceeded on a northeasterly course in the general direction of 38D, climbing to approximately 3,250 ft mean sea level (msl) and reaching a ground speed of about 140 knots. The ground speed began to decrease and the aircraft turned to the southeast. During this time, the groundspeed and altitude gradually decreased to about 70 knots and 1,700 ft msl, respectively. The radar data then indicated a turn to the northwest, followed by a turn to the southwest. During this time, the groundspeed and altitude increased to about 95 knots and 2,000 ft msl, respectively. The aircraft subsequently turned to northeast, approximately reversing course. The groundspeed and altitude increased during this segment to about 108 knots and 2,500 ft msl, respectively. The radar data then indicated a gradual descent and decrease in groundspeed before the aircraft turned to the south-southeast. The final data point was recorded during that segment at 1815:44, with a corresponding groundspeed of 71 knots and an altitude of 1,525 ft msl. The final data point was located about 0.5 mile north of the accident site. No witnesses to the accident were identified. An alert notice (ALNOT) was issued on April 28th when efforts to locate the pilot were not successful. Information obtained from the pilot's cellular phone service provider and FAA radar data assisted the ground search that located the accident airplane on April 29th. An autopsy of the pilot was performed at the Stark County Coroner's Office. The pilot's death was attributed to blunt force injuries sustained in the accident. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Bioaeronautical Research Sciences Laboratory was negative for all drugs in the testing profile. No carbon monoxide or ethanol was detected in blood specimens; 10 mg/dL ethanol was detected in urine specimens. The pilot's logbook was recovered at theaccident site. It listed eight individual flights ranging from 0.32 hour to 0.84 hour in duration. The final entry was dated April 24, 2016, the day of the accident. The departure and destination airports for the final entry were 38D and TSO, respectively. The logbook did not contain any flight time brought forward from a previous logbook, nor did it include a flight review endorsement. The pilot's most recent FAA medical certificate was issued in June 2012 and was no longer valid. It included a limitation for corrective lenses. At that time, the pilot reported a total flight time of 2,800 hours. No subsequent medical certificate applications were on file with the FAA. A Lowrance AirMap 600c handheld GPS units was recovered at the accident site. Position data (latitude and longitude) were downloaded from the unit. However, the GPS unit did not record any other parameters such as date, time, or altitude. The downloaded data appeared to be comprised of four distinct segments; two segments appeared to correspond to flights between TSO and 38D. A tabular listing of the GPS data is included in the docket associated with this investigation. The accident site was located in a wooded ravine about 5.5 miles northeast of TSO. The airplane came to rest upright about 100 feet from the edge of the woods on a 200-degree magnetic heading. A clearing was located north of the accident site. The elevation of the clearing was about 24 ft above that of the accident site. A postaccident examination was conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge and FAA inspectors, with the assistance of a representative of the airframe manufacturer. The examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. A detailed summary of the examination is included in the docket associated with the investigation.