- Date
- September 3, 1988, 21:20 local (Sep 4, 1988, 04:20 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N54814Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880903036679A
- Case key
- 25859
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot failed to maintain control of the aircraft during nigh visual meteorological conditions. Contributing to this accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience at nigh and the lack of outside visual references due to darkness.
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 pilot had flown the acft on two previous flights on the day of the accident. The first flt was without incident. The second flt was aborted during the takeoff climb. The pilot calculated his weight onboard and realized he exceeded the max gross. He defueled an unknown quantity of fuel and planned to stay the night in the area but was unable to secure lodging. He then elected to continue the flt that night. Witnesses stated the acft climbed to aprx 200 ft with the wings fluctuating in bank angle after which the acft entered a spiral and descended to the ground. Density alt was calculated to have been 8,500 ft when the takeoff occurred. The arpt provides a 'black hole' enviroment at night. Review of the plt logbooks revealed a lack of recent night experience in accordance with FAR part 61.75(d).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54814
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 75057
- Airframe hours
- 2,682
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Four Corners Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 4, 1988 · 57 hours before
- Destination
- FMN · Farmington, NM
- Airport
- GCN · Grand Canyon, runway 3, 8,900 × 150 ft
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
- 23
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 366 total · 152 in this make and model · 291 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 70° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GCN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.