- Date
- April 27, 1983, 22:43 local (Apr 28, 1983, 03:43 UTC)
- Place
- Morrilton, AR
- Injuries
- 3 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N54174Cessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 20991
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft collided with trees on the final approach to land at night. The plt had canceled his IFR clearance. During the approach the plt had the rwy in sight and asked memphis center how FAR he was from the arpt. When he was informed he WAS3 miles south he decided to make a descending 360 turn to lose alt. As he straighened the acft after turning he looked in the cockpit. When he looked back out trees were seen illuminated by the landing lights. He tried to climb but was unable to arrest the descent so he minimized the speed for impact in the trees. The plt said he was fatigued, should not have canceled IFR and should not have made the vertigo inducing turn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54174
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274904
- Airframe hours
- 803
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ramp One Aviation
- Registered owner
- Wilbur H. Rainey Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MO49 · Washington, MO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MPJ · Petit Jean, runway 20, 5,980 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 277 total · 277 in this make and model · 200 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg