Cessna 172M accident near Witter, AR
On September 13, 1995, a Cessna 172M (airplane) was involved in an accident near Witter, AR. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 13, 1995
- Place
- Witter, AR
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.930°N, 93.680°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X04479
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 13, 1995, between 0230 and 0618 central daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N61899, registered to Cobb Aircraft Inc., and operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, collided with trees and impacted the ground in remote mountainous terrain near Witter, Arkansas. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The private pilot-in-command and two passengers received fatal injuries, and the rental airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The flight originated from Hot Springs, Arkansas, during early morning hours and was en route to Fayettville, Arkansas. According to his wife, the pilot received a phone call "around midnight" at their home. After the call, he told her that he needed to fly an airplane to Fayetteville to take care of "an emergency." The exact time line of the pilot's activities after he left his home are unknown. However, it was confirmed that the pilot had retrieved N61899 from the ramp located at Cobb Aviation, Hot Springs Airport, during early morning hours. The owner of the airplane reported that, the pilot was a customer and had purchased a "block" of rental flying time (10 hours) on September 24, 1994. He further reported that, the pilot had a key to a lock box which contained airplane keys for rental customers. The lock box system was intended to be a means for customers to pick up or drop off an airplane after business hours. The owner added that, customers would "normally" call him when they were going to pick up an airplane utilizing the lock box system, but he had no knowledg
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from high/wooded terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: darkness, high terrain, and foggy weather conditions. Also, the pilot's use of Methamphetamine (not approved by the FAA) was a possible factor.
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Browse: Arkansas · 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.
