- Date
- January 1, 1986, 11:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- Kamuela, HI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 4 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7320KCessna R172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860101000059A
- Case key
- 25046
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 terrain while maneuvering to aviod clouds during a local scenic flt. The plt stated that turbulence caused loss of control and the acft was blown into trees. The winds were from 050 degs at 37 KTS with gusts to 45 KTS. SIGMET oscar five was in effect at the time of the accident which forecast occasional severe turbulencebelow 9000 ft over and immediately south through west of all mountains in all of the hawaiian islands.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7320K
- Reported as
- Cessna R172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R1722056
- Airframe hours
- 3,223
- Engine
- Continental IO-360-KB, 195 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Al Merrill, doing business as Anuenue Aviation
- Registered owner
- William H. Merrill, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 4, 1985 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- IAI · Keahole, HI
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,005 total · 581 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 37 knots, gusting 45
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MUE, 4 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7320K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.