Cessna 172 N8855B

Summary

On 11 July 1989 at about 17:28 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N8855B, operated by Moraine Air Service, was involved in an accident near Townsend, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 July 1989 at 17:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Townsend, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.6701, -83.7498

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N8855B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Moraine Air Service

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Knoxville → MacOn

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL89FA177

1 person was seriously injured.

IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT AND HIS DELAY IN INITIATING REMEDIAL ACTION, WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILINGS OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS INABILITY TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION, HIS FAILURE TO USE IN-FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING SERVICE, HIS PROBABLE PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT FROM MEDICATION/DRUGS, AND THE TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT DEPD DAYTON, OH, AT ABOUT 0800 ON A FLT TO MACON, GA. HE MADE AN EN ROUTE STOP AT CROSSVILLE, TN. DUE TO WX ON HIS ROUTE, HE CHOSE TO FLY TO KNOXVILLE (DKX), TN, TO REFUEL, THEN GO DIRECT TO MACON. AFTER REFUELING AT DKX, THE PLT DEPD FOR A DIRECT FLT OVER THE MTNS. HE STATED THAT THE PEAKS WERE TOO HIGH AND HE FOUND A MTN VALLEY LEADING TO A PASS ACROSS THE RIDGE LINE. HE OBSERVED CUMULUS CLOUDS OVER THE PEAKS. BEFORE REACHING THE CREST, THE CLOUDS BEGAN TO MOVED IN AROUND HIM. HE STARTED A TURN BACK TO AVOID THE CLOUDS, BUT THE LNDG GEAR BRUSHED THE TREES. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED. PERSONNEL HIKING IN THE AREA HEARD THE CRASH, FOUND THE ACFT, GAVE FIRST AID TO THE PLT, & OBTAINED HELP FROM PARK RANGERS. THE PLT WAS EVACUATED BY HELICOPTER AFTER DELAYS DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. THE PLT INDCD HE WAS TAKING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK SHOWED HIS BLOOD CONTAINED 0.095 MG/L OF NORDIAZEPAM. CANNABINOIDS WERE DETECTED IN HIS URINE, BUT NONE WAS FOUND IN HIS BLOOD.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.