Cessna 172N accident near Sedona, AZ
On October 8, 1993, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sedona, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 8, 1993
- Place
- Sedona, AZ
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.940°N, 111.940°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X13580
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 7, 1993, at 2038 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N5365D, operated by Aerovision, Inc., of Sedona, Arizona, collided with a shear rock wall in mountainous terrain near Sedona, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure and destination points and a VFR flight plan was filed. The accident occurred during the hours of darkness. The pilot had just completed a 14 CFR Part 135 charter flight from Flagstaff Arizona, to Farmington, New Mexico, and back to Flagstaff where his passengers deplaned. The pilot was returning the aircraft to its Sedona base when the accident occurred. Two witnesses, a husband and wife, were located about 2 miles north of the accident site at the time of the accident. They observed a low flying aircraft. The wife stated that her attention was first drawn to the area of the aircraft by what she first thought was lightning and then she realized that it was a bright, flashing white light reflecting off the clouds. She stated that the airplane made an abrupt turn southbound; she observed both red and white flashing lights, and reported that the engine sounded normal. Upon hearing an impact, she notified the Sedona Police. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to the pilot's logbook, he had accumulated about 13,205 hours of flight time with about 60 hours as a pilot examiner. The day before the accident the pilot successfully passed a 14 CFR Part 135 proficiency check ride with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the
Probable cause
the pilot's decision to continue VFR at an improper altitude into mountainous terrain at night and the inadvertent encounter with clouds along the route. Self-induced pressure due to a low fuel state contributed to the accident.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
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Browse: Arizona · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
