Cessna 182Q accident near Lake Havasu City, AZ
On November 7, 2011, a Cessna 182Q (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lake Havasu City, AZ. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 7, 2011
- Place
- Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.335°N, 113.721°W
- NTSB ID
- 20111109X93553
Official records · WPR12FA031
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Audio Data from Luke Airforce Base Approach Controllers: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 6, 2011, at 1853 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182Q, N4701N, collided with hilly terrain near Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage and fragmentation during the accident sequence. The personal cross-country flight departed Glendale Municipal Airport, Glendale Arizona, about 1810 with a planned destination of Lake Havasu City Airport. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was to be the return leg of a family trip to watch a football game in the Glendale area. They had flown into Glendale earlier that day from their home base of Lake Havasu City, arriving at 1115. The game began about 1415, and continued into overtime, finishing about 1730. According to a friend, who was seated next to the pilot during the game, he had expressed concern about encroaching weather, and the game extending into the hours of darkness. The pilot and passengers immediately left the stadium as soon as the game was completed. Radar and voice data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the pilot made radio contact with Luke Airforce Base air traffic control personnel about 5 minutes after departure. The controller provided a transponder code of 0230, followed, 90 seconds later, by an updated code of 2607. Radar data revealed a target 10 miles north of Luke
Probable cause
The pilot's continued cruise flight into cloudy conditions at night, which resulted in a loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation.
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.
