Cessna 172N N5365D

Summary

On 8 October 1993 at about 03:38 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N5365D, operated by Aerovision, Inc., was involved in an accident near Sedona, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 October 1993 at 03:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Sedona, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

34.9397, -111.9402

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N5365D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Aerovision, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flagstaff → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX94FA007

1 person died.

the pilot's decision to continue VFR at an improper altitude into mountainous terrain at night and the inadvertent encounter with clouds along the route. Self-induced pressure due to a low fuel state contributed to the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was returning from a day long charter flight. About 2000 hours, the pilot dropped his passengers in Flagstaff, Arizona, and departed for Sedona, located 21 miles to the south. At a point 13.6 miles south of Flagstaff, the airplane collided with a sheer rock wall about 1,000 feet below the top of the mountainous terrain. Based on weather data and witness statements, low clouds existed in the accident area around the time of the accident. A witness reported seeing the airplane's lights flash on the clouds while the aircraft appeared to be reversing course. The witnesses heard normal engine sounds until the impact. No system discrepancies were noted during the examination of the aircraft. Based on fuel calculations, the airplane had about 5.5 gallons of fuel on board or about 40 minutes of flight time remaining.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.