LAX97FA093

The operator reported that several flights were canceled on the morning of the accident due to darkening weather north of the departure airport. A witness on the ground reported that the mountain tops around the accident site were shrouded in clouds. A second witness reported a cloud bank over the mountains, southeast of the destination airport. A third witness flying through the area reported that the mountains near the accident site were obscured in low clouds. The pilot received a weather briefing before departure. The aircraft was found to have crashed into rising mountainous terrain south of his destination.

History of flight

On January 22, 1997, at 0845 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna R172K, N736WZ, en route to Kingman, Arizona, collided with mountainous terrain near Bagdad, Arizona. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The aircraft was operated by Westwind Aviation, Inc., and rented by the pilot for the personal cross-country flight. The flight originated in Phoenix, Arizona, at 0755. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed along the route of flight and no flight plan was filed.

The pilot was en route to a scheduled meeting in Kingman when he failed to arrive at his destination. Employees of the pilot became concerned and notified the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA Operations Center issued an ALNOT at 1640. An airliner that was over flying the area heard an ELT signal being transmitted and notified Albuquerque Center. At 1730, an Arizona Department of Safety helicopter located the wreckage.

The aircraft was equipped with an altitude encoding transponder; however, a review of existing radar data did not identify any beacon returns that were consistent with the time and route of the aircraft.

Personnel information

The pilot received his private pilot certificate on April 3, 1987. Since that time, the pilot's logbook showed that he flew from Phoenix-Deer Valley to Kingman about once a month. The last flight logged was a round trip from Phoenix-Deer Valley to Kingman on December 21, 1996, in a Cessna 172.

Aircraft information

An FAA airworthiness inspector reviewed the aircraft logbooks and reported that no discrepancies were found. In addition to annual and 100-hour inspections, the aircraft had last undergone a 50-hour inspection on January 7, 1997.

Meteorological information

The operator reported that several of his scheduled rental flights canceled on the morning of the accident due to the appearance of what was described as "darkening weather conditions north of Deer Valley airport.'" A Yavapai county sheriff's deputy reported that mountain tops around the accident site were shrouded in clouds. A flight instructor at the Kingman airport reported seeing a cloud bank over the mountains, southeast of the airport. A helicopter pilot who was flying in the area reported that the mountains near the accident site were obscured in low clouds. According to FAA records, the pilot received a weather briefing from Prescott Flight Service before departure.

A Safety Board meteorologist conducted a weather study of conditions existing in the area at the time of the accident. Synoptic weather conditions, weather observations at Phoenix-Deer Valley Municipal, Prescott Ernest A. Love Field, and Kingman airports indicated VFR conditions existed at the time. Weather radar did not show any precipitation in the area. The aviation area forecast for northwestern Arizona was for broken cloud layers at 10,000 and 15,000 feet. The terminal forecast for Prescott Ernest A. Love Field indicated broken clouds as low as 5,000 feet were possible.

Wreckage and impact information

The aircraft was located at the 3,600-foot level of a 4,000-foot mountain on a 30-degree slope. The position was measured with a handheld GPS unit and found to be 34 degrees 41.07 minutes north latitude and 113 degrees 16.03 minutes west longitude. The main wreckage was located about 20 feet below a visible ground scar. The aircraft was inverted with the wings and fuselage exhibiting evidence of longitudinal compression.

All flight control surfaces were found in proximity to the point of impact. Control continuity was not established due to airframe separation. According to the manufacturer, the elevator trim actuator corresponded to 10 degrees tab up for a nose down setting. The position of the flap jackscrew corresponded to the fully retracted position. The fuel selector handle was found in the left tank position.

Both propeller blades were separated from the hub. The first blade was missing the outboard 1/3 of its span and was not recovered. The remainder exhibited aft bending, leading edge damage, and chordwise gouges. The second blade exhibited aft bowing, leading edge damage, and trailing edge damage near the tip.

The propeller flange was cracked and exhibited aft bending. The flange was turned by hand and continuity was observed through the accessory section. The propeller governor was separated from the engine and was not found.

The engine case exhibited impact damage near the No. 6 cylinder. The bottom of the accessory case also showed evidence of impact damage.

The fuel pump was separated from the engine. The pump drive was rotated by hand and was found to turn freely. The throttle butterfly valve was 1/2 open. The throttle cable was separated. The alternate air door was separated. The fuel injector lines were crushed. The injector line fittings for the No. 1, 2, and 4 cylinders were separated at the fuel manifold valve. The induction tubing on top of the engine was crushed and broken.

Both magnetos were separated from the accessory case. They were rotated by hand and produced a spark from most but not all leads. The top spark plugs for the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cylinders were removed and visually examined. According to the Champion Check-A-Plug chart, all plugs showed evidence of normal wear. The No. 2, 4, and 5 plugs showed evidence of oil soaking. The No. 6 cylinder plugs were not recovered. The alternator was separated from the accessory case. The starter adapter case was fractured, however, the starter remained mounted.

The engine oil sump was separated from its mounting position. There was no visible wear or discoloration on the cam lobes or bearing journals.

Medical and pathological information

An autopsy was conducted by the Yavapai County Coroner's Office on January 24, 1997, with specimens retained for toxicological examination. The autopsy found evidence of preexisting coronary arteriolosclerosis and pulmonary emphysema. The toxicological test results were negative for alcohol and all screened drug substances.

Additional information

The aircraft was recovered by Air Transport and stored at their facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The wreckage was released to a representative of the registered owner on March 11, 1997.