Cessna 172M accident near Chandler, AZ
On January 2, 1998, a Cessna 172M (airplane) was involved in an accident near Chandler, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 2, 1998
- Place
- Chandler, AZ
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.320°N, 111.871°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09457
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 1, 1998, at 1746 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172M, N20118, collided with power lines during cruise flight on the Gila River Indian Reservation near Chandler, Arizona. The aircraft was destroyed during the impact with the power lines and subsequent collision with a barbed wire fence. The pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the other passenger sustained serious injuries. The aircraft was operated by Sunbird Flight Services in Chandler. The pilot rented the aircraft for a local flight under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from Chandler at 1710. There were two witnesses (a husband and wife) to the crash sequence. The wife said she heard the airplane flying nearby. She said the airplane was flying from west to east toward the mountain. She stated that she thought the airplane was "extremely low" and said he (the pilot) was at the height of the power lines. She thought that he better gain or lose altitude in order to miss the power lines. She said he "didn't try to miss the power lines . . . I don't think he saw them." She stated that the airplane hit the power line and there was an explosion and a flash of fire, followed almost immediately by a second explosion and flash of fire. She said the airplane flipped over in the air and then the airplane "fell to the ground like a rock." She called 911 for paramedics and the fire rescue squad. She stated that it was "still light enough to see the power lines." The husband
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional flying at a low altitude and failure to see and avoid the power lines during dusk conditions.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
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.
