# NTSB ERA09LA413: Cessna 152, N5518P, Ponce, PR, July 19, 2009

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report
- Date: July 18, 2009, 23:15 local (Jul 19, 2009, 03:15 UTC)
- Place: Ponce, PR
- Coordinates: 17.952777, -66.557502 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=17.9528&lon=-66.5575&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 1 fatal
- Status: Completed, report December 20, 2010
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties: FAA/FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 74338
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA09LA413
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/74338/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74338
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA09LA413

## Probable cause

The airplane’s impact with water for undetermined reasons.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 15 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md)

## Analysis

Shortly after the pilot took off in night conditions from a coastal island airport the airplane impacted the sea. There was neither low-level radar coverage of the area nor any known radio transmissions from the airplane. The pilot had intended to fly along the coast, toward his home airport to the west, but his body was recovered near the mouth of a river south of the departure airport. The only airplane wreckage recovered was a tire. The pilot, who had a reported 162 hours of flight experience, obtained his private pilot certificate about 6 weeks before the accident and purchased the airplane about 4 weeks before the accident. The pilot had delayed his flight for several hours due to en route weather and had declined several offers of ground transport. Weather at the time included a few clouds at 3,000 feet and visibility of 8 miles. Two tenths of the moon was illuminated. The departure airport had one runway, and with the prevailing winds, the pilot likely took off from runway 12, which would have resulted in a turn over water, back toward the west. Given the pilot’s relatively low experience level, the overwater flight path and the dim lighting conditions, spatial disorientation likely resulted. However, because the airplane was not recovered, a mechanical anomaly cannot be excluded.

## Factual narrative

On July 18, 2009, sometime after 2315 Atlantic standard time, a Cessna 152, N5518P, was lost at sea in the vicinity of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight, from Mercedita Airport (TJPS), Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Antonio Juarbe Pol Airport (TJAB), Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a flight instructor, the pilot, a medical doctor, originally departed Arecibo for Ponce at 1745, with the purpose of picking up some flu vaccine for some friends. The airplane departed with 17 gallons of fuel onboard, or approximately 3 hours' flight duration. A half hour later, the pilot called the flight instructor to say he had arrived in Ponce. At 1900, the flight instructor called the pilot to advise him that the weather was deteriorating, especially in some of the interior regions, and the pilot responded that he was aware of it and was monitoring Doppler radar. The flight instructor called the pilot again about 2000, and told him that there was weather in the vicinity of Arecibo, and the pilot responded that he'd wait 1 to 2 hours for the weather to improve. The flight instructor then offered to drive over and pick up the pilot, but the pilot told him no, and that he would wait. About 2230, the flight instructor again called the pilot to inform him that there was weather east and north of Ponce. The flight instructor had also called the pilot's wife, who subsequently offered to retrieve the pilot by car, but the pilot also declined her offer. In later discussions, the pilot told the flight instructor that he planned to fly along the coast to the west, via Mayaguez and Aguadilla, and if the weather deteriorated, he could land and the flight instructor could then pick him up. At 2300, the pilot called the flight instructor to advise him that he was about to depart, and to the flight instructor's knowledge, the airplane departed about 2315. As time passed, the flight instructor attempted to contact the pilot multiple times, and about 0100, he and others began to contact authorities about the missing airplane. There was no low level radar coverage of the area, and no known radio transmissions from the airplane. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) subsequently issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT), and on July 20, 2009, about 2000, the pilot's body was located near the mouth of Rio Inabon, south of the departure airport. Several days later, a wheel from the airplane was also found. The pilot, age 52, held a private pilot certificate, and according to the flight instructor, had about 162 hours of total flight time. FAA records indicated that the pilot was issued his private pilot certificate on June 3, 2009. A copy of a sales contract indicated that the pilot purchased the airplane on July 9, 2009. Maintenance records revealed that theairplane’s latest annual inspection was completed on November 20, 2008, and that an overhauled engine was installed at that time. The departure airport had one runway, 12/30, which was 6,904 feet long and 150 feet wide. Airport elevation was 29 feet above mean sea level. On July 21, 2009, a postmortem examination of the pilot was performed at the Instituto de Ciencias de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the cause of death reported as, “severo trauma corporal.” The autopsy report also noted multiple fractures of the pelvis, and only 8 ml of urine in the bladder. Local toxicology testing performed in conjunction with the autopsy noted 0.03 percent alcohol in urine, and no alcohol in central blood. According to shipping documentation, toxicological samples were shipped from Puerto Rico on July 28, 2009, and arrived at the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on the following day. Testing revealed 2.642 ug/ml of acetaminophen in the pilot’s blood, and the presence of ethanol, N-butanol, and N-propanol in multiple fluid and tissue samples, with putrefaction noted. Weather, recorded at Ponce at 2258, included a few clouds at 3,000 feet, visibility 8 statute miles, and winds from 070 degrees true at 5 knots. U.S. Naval Observatory data indicated that approximately 2/10 of the moon was illuminated. According to the FAA’s “Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge,” FAA-H-8083-25, “spatial disorientation specifically refers to the lack of orientation with regard to the position, attitude, or movement of the airplane in space.” In addition, “under normal flight conditions, when there is a visual reference to the horizon and ground, the sensory system in the inner ear helps identify the pitch, roll, and yaw movements of the airplane. When visual contact with the horizon is lost, the vestibular system becomes unreliable. The Handbook further states: “Prevention is usually the best remedy for spatial disorientation. Unless a pilot has many hours of training in instrument flight, flight in reduced visibility or at night when a horizon is not visible should be avoided.”

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N5518P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5518P-2018-01-24), registration cancelled 2018-01-24, S/N 15284964, built 1981 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 152
- Registry model: [Cessna 152](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (registry code 2071835) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-235 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (registry code 41505, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 15284964
- Airframe hours: 17781
- Engines: Lycoming O-235 Series 115 horsepower reciprocating
- Damage: Destroyed
- Fire: Unknown
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility
- Last inspection: Annual, November 20, 2008
- Departed: TJPS, PONCE, PR
- Destination: TJAB, ARECIBO, PR

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 52; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3; toxicology performed; flight hours: 162 total, 62 as pilot in command

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark
- Wind: 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observed at: TJPS

## Docket (5 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74338. 503 KB in all.

- CFI Statement (item 1, .PDF, 82 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40332397&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=CFI%20Statement-Redacted.PDF
- Coast Guard News Release (item 2, .PDF, 59 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40332398&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Coast%20Guard%20News%20Release-Master.PDF
- Maintenance Records (item 3, .PDF, 161 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40332399&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maintenance%20Records-Redacted.PDF
- Toxicological Report (item 4, .PDF, 62 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40332400&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Redacted.PDF
- Toxicological Samples Shipping History (item 5, .PDF, 139 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40334972&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Samples%20Shipping%20History-Master.PDF

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.

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