- Date
- August 29, 2012, 21:00 local (Aug 30, 2012, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Terrebonne, OR
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4849EChampion 7FC
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report December 5, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20120829019109A
- Case key
- 84856
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's physical impairment, which adversely affected his ability to properly operate the airplane.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The private pilot was attempting to land his airplane at night on the unlighted, unpaved private airstrip where he based the airplane. The airstrip was situated in a rural area, about 5 miles from the nearest town atop a ridge that rose about 300 feet above the surrounding terrain. According to the pilot, during his final approach to the airstrip, he encountered a downdraft, and the airplane impacted the southwest side of the ridge. According to information provided by first responders, the airplane struck a tree and then terrain, and came to rest after a very short distance. The right wing was crushed and displaced aft, and the fuselage also sustained substantial damage. The pilot extracted himself from the wreckage and used his cellular telephone to summon assistance. Hospital medical personnel interviews indicated that the pilot appeared intoxicated and admitted to using methadone and morphine on a daily basis, and blood tests of the pilot conducted at least 3 hours after the accident revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.246 grams/deciliter. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations prohibit operation of an airplane by persons with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.040 grams/deciliter or greater. The pilot did not hold a valid FAA medical certificate. He also stated that the airplane did not have any mechanical deficiencies or failures before the impact.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was attempting to land his airplane at night on the unlighted, unpaved private airstrip where he based the airplane. The airstrip was situated in a rural area, about 5 miles from the nearest town. The airstrip was oriented approximately east-west, atop a ridge that was oriented northeast-southwest. The ridge rose approximately 300 feet above the surrounding terrain. According to the pilot, during his final approach to the airstrip, he encountered a downdraft, and the airplane impacted the southwest side of the ridge. According to information provided by first responders, the airplane struck a tree and then terrain, and came to rest after a very short distance. The right wing was crushed and displaced aft, and the fuselage also sustained substantial damage. The pilot extracted himself from the wreckage, and utilized his mobile phone to summon assistance, since he was seriously injured. About 2 hours after the accident, he was airlifted to a hospital. Hospital medical personnel interviews and blood tests of the pilot conducted at least 3 hours after the accident revealed that the pilot appeared intoxicated, admitted to using methadone and morphine on a daily basis, and had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.246 grams/deciliter. FAA regulations prohibit operation of an aircraft by persons with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.040 grams/deciliter or greater. The pilot did not hold a valid FAA medical certificate. He also stated that he did not experience any mechanical deficiencies or failures of the airplane prior to the impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4849E
- Reported as
- Champion 7FC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 300
- Airframe hours
- 4,626
- Engine
- 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 29, 2009
- Departed
- 61OR · Terrebonne, OR
- Destination
- 61OR · Terrebonne, OR
- Airport
- 61OR · The Citadel, runway 25, 1,800 × 100 ft, dirt
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 800 in this make and model · 1,650 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Observed at
- KRDM, 8 nm away
Docket · 9
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 12, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.