Cleveland, TN, USA
N58807
CESSNA 182
The initial portion of the instrument flight rules cross-country flight was routine. The flight was established in cruise flight about 9,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The air traffic controller advised the pilot of an area of weather about 10 miles ahead and suggested deviating left of course. The pilot initially appeared to establish the course suggested by the controller, but shortly afterward advised the controller that he planned to proceed direct to the intended destination. The controller subsequently informed the pilot that he was entering an area of moderate to heavy precipitation that extended for about 20 miles. The controller approved deviating left or right of course. About three minutes later, the controller advised the pilot of heavy precipitation from the airplane’s current position eastbound and suggested a northbound course before proceeding eastbound to remain clear of the weather. About five minutes before the accident, the airplane entered a left turn as the flight approached the weather. The pilot completed two full 360° turns during which the airplane altitude varied from approximately 8,700 ft msl to 9,300 ft msl. About one minute before the accident, the pilot transmitted, “I’ve got control finally we were in a bit of a whirlwind.” The controller acknowledged, noted heavy precipitation to the north of the airplane’s position, and suggested a west heading. The pilot asked the controller to confirm the suggested heading, and the controller responded, “back to the west about a two seventy.” The pilot’s reply was not discernable, and no further communications were received. About 30 seconds before the accident, the airplane entered a right turn from an approximate altitude of 9,075 ft msl. The airplane’s altitude increased to about 9,375 ft msl briefly before it entered a descent. The final data point was located about one-half mile from the accident site with a corresponding airplane altitude of 7,200 ft msl. The airplane impacted trees and terrain. The airframe was fragmented consistent with a high-speed impact. The propeller blades were fractured and deformed consistent with engine power at impact. A postaccident examination did not identify any anomalies attributable to a preimpact failure or malfunction. Weather data revealed an area of convective activity near the final segment of the flight. The airplane was in instrument meteorological conditions at the time of the loss of control. Toxicology testing detected ethanol in one of the pilot’s muscle tissue samples but was not detected in another muscle tissue sample. Given that there was no ethanol detected in one of two muscle tissue samples, the identified ethanol was likely from sources other than ingestion. The antihistamines diphenhydramine and cetirizine and the muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine were detected in the pilot’s muscle tissue; no blood specimens were available for toxicology testing. Without blood levels, the investigation was unable to determine whether the effects from the pilot’s use of diphenhydramine, cetirizine, and cyclobenzaprine contributed to the accident.
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 5, 2022, at 1711 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182P airplane, N58807, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Cleveland, Tennessee. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the flight departed Arlington Municipal Airport (GKY), Arlington, Texas, about 1112 and arrived at Fletcher Field Airport (CKM), Clarksdale, Mississippi, about 1400. The accident flight departed CKM about 1448 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The intended destination was Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), Asheville, North Carolina. The pilot proceeded eastbound on course toward AVL and climbed to 9,000 ft msl. At 1655, the air traffic controller advised the pilot of an area of weather about 10 miles ahead and suggested deviating left of course toward either Dayton or Athens, Tennessee, before proceeding on course. The pilot initially appeared to establish a course for Athens. However, the pilot then advised the controller that he planned to proceed to Collegedale and then direct to AVL. At 1706:23, the controller informed the pilot that he was entering an area of moderate to heavy precipitation and that it extended for about 20 miles. The controller approved deviating left or right of course. About three minutes later, the controller advised the pilot of heavy precipitation from the current position eastbound and suggested a northbound course before proceeding toward Athens and then AVL. At 1706:55, the airplane entered a left turn as the flight approached the area of weather. The pilot completed two full 360° turns, momentarily returning to a northeasterly course. During the two turns, the airplane altitude varied from approximately 8,700 ft msl to 9,300 ft msl. At 1710:37, the pilot transmitted, “I’ve got control finally we were in a bit of a whirlwind.” The controller acknowledged, noted heavy precipitation to the north of the airplane’s position, and suggested a west heading. The pilot asked the controller to confirm the suggested heading, and the controller responded, “back to the west about a two seventy.” The pilot’s reply was transmitted at 1711:24 and was not discernable. No further communications were received. At 1711:10, the airplane entered a right turn from an approximate altitude of 9,075 ft msl. The airplane altitude increased to about 9,375 ft msl briefly before the airplane entered a descent. The final data point was recorded at 1711:32 with a corresponding altitude of 7,200 ft msl. Immediately before the accident, a witness heard the airplane fly over his house, which was adjacent to the accident site. The engine seemed to be at a “normal” cruise power setting. However, 1 to 1-1/2 seconds later, the engine sound increased abruptly to what seemed to be “full throttle.” The engine seemed to increase power smoothly with no hesitation. Moments afterward, he heard a “boom” that shook the house. There were no further sounds from the airplane and he assumed that it had crashed. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to the pilot’s logbook, he had logged 33.6 hours of actual instrument flight time and 54.0 hours of simulated instrument flight time. Within the previous 6 months, the pilot logged actual and simulated instrument times of 1.5 hours and 4.5 hours, respectively. The logbook included a notation, “Completed flight review and the IPC,” which was dated July 4, 2022. The entry included a total flight time of 1.6 hours with no actual or simulated instrument time logged. Previous simulated instrument time was logged on June 18, 2022, and June 25, 2022. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONA representative of the flying club that owned the accident airplane reported that a Stormscope was installed but it was not operational. However, the transponder was able to receive NEXRAD weather radar data and provide that to a Bluetooth-connected device such as a tablet. Weather radar data could not be depicted on the two installed electronic flight displays. The investigation was unable to determine if the pilot was referencing weather data during the accident flight. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONGround-based radar imagery depicted an area of convective activity near the final portion of the flight path. Meteorological data depicted saturated conditions between 9,000 and 10,000 feet, cloud tops to over 40,000 feet, regional cloud bases below 3,000 feet, and precipitation surrounding the final portion of the flight path. The witness who reported hearing the airplane at the time of the accident noted that it was raining with low clouds and fog at the time. He was about 200 yards from the accident site and noted that he was unable to see the tops of the trees in his yard. The pilot filed the flight plan through a third-party application about 1428. This was about 20 minutes before the flight departed CKM. A weather briefing was generated at the time the flight plan was filed. The pilot had not viewed any weather imagery provided by the application before the flight. However, the investigation was unable to determine if the pilot had viewed weather data or imagery from other sources. AIRPORT INFORMATIONA representative of the flying club that owned the accident airplane reported that a Stormscope was installed but it was not operational. However, the transponder was able to receive NEXRAD weather radar data and provide that to a Bluetooth-connected device such as a tablet. Weather radar data could not be depicted on the two installed electronic flight displays. The investigation was unable to determine if the pilot was referencing weather data during the accident flight. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe initial tree impact was located about 0.56 miles northwest of the final data point. Elevation of the accident site was approximately 830 ft and estimated tree heights were 80 ft above ground level (agl). The debris path was about 480 ft long and oriented on a north-northeast (020°) bearing. The airframe was fragmented. The engine and propeller assemblies were separated and located within the debris path. Both exhibited damage consistent with impact forces. A postaccident examination identified portions of the entire airframe structure. No evidence of an in-flight structural failure was observed. The flight control system exhibited multiple separations consistent with the fragmentation of the airframe; however, no anomalies attributable to a preimpact failure or malfunction were observed. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONToxicology testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol in the pilot’s muscle tissue at 0.022 grams per hectogram (gm/hg) in one sample but was not detected in another muscle tissue sample. The antihistamines diphenhydramine and cetirizine (10 nanograms per gram [ng/gm]) were detected in the pilot’s muscle tissue. The muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine and its metabolite norcyclobenzaprine were detected in his muscle tissue at 5 ng/gm and 20 ng/gm, respectively. No blood specimens were available for toxicology testing. These medications can cause sedation and can slow psychomotor responses and reaction times.
The pilot’s loss of airplane control while operating in instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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