Cessna 172S accident near Whittier, AK
On July 4, 2000, a Cessna 172S (airplane) was involved in an accident near Whittier, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 4, 2000
- Place
- Whittier, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 60.800°N, 148.250°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X21348
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 3, 2000, about 1832 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 172S airplane, N862SP, was destroyed when the airplane collided with ocean water about 10 miles east of Whittier, Alaska, at 60 degrees, 48 minutes north latitude, 148 degrees, 15 minutes west longitude. The airplane was operated by Take Flight Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, and was rented by the pilot. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, about 1630, and the flight-planned route was to Whittier and Middleton Island, Alaska, and return to Anchorage. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on July 3, the chief flight instructor for the operator reported that the pilot rented the airplane, with an anticipated return time of 1900. He added that the pilot failed to file the required "in-house flight plan" prior to his departure. At 1725, a witness aboard a boat in the area of Culross Passage, about 15 miles east of Whittier, observed the accident airplane flying very low over the water. He said that the wings were rocking back and forth, with the wingtips almost touching the water. In a written statement to the NTSB, he wrote, in part: "...The aircraft was no more than 10 feet off the water. The aircraft then corrected aga
Probable cause
Suicide.
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Browse: Alaska · 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.
