Cessna TR182 N7090S

Summary

On 31 December 2006 at about 16:24 local time, a Cessna TR182 registered N7090S was involved in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 December 2006 at 16:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.2311, -80.9014

Aircraft

Cessna TR182

Registration

N7090S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manteo → Shelby

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC07FA052

4 people died.

The pilot's spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control and subsequent in-flight breakup. Contributing to the accident was instrument meteorological conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While receiving vectors for an instrument approach, the pilot had difficulty maintaining his assigned heading and altitude. The air traffic controller issued numerous vectors to the pilot to assist him on the approach, and instructed him to "check [his] altitude," when he observed the airplane was 400 feet too low. Witnesses observed the airplane emerge from the base of a cloud deck, in a nose-dive, then break apart prior to impacting the ground. An examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies. Sections of the left wing exhibited upward loading. The pilot reported 465 hours of total flight experience, and 7.8 hours of total actual instrument experience. The pilot's most recent actual instrument experience was 1 hour, recorded 3 months prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.