Cessna 182D N9178X

Summary

On 24 February 2006 at about 04:15 local time, a Cessna 182D registered N9178X was involved in an accident near Weyers Cave, Virginia, 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

24 February 2006 at 04:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Weyers Cave, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Eagle's Nest (W13)

Coordinates

38.2764, -78.9364

Aircraft

Cessna 182D

Registration

N9178X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Waynesboro → Waynesboro

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

NYC06LA073

1 person died.

The pilot's improper decision to maneuver at a low altitude at night, and his failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance, which resulted in a collision with power lines. A factor in this accident was the night light conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed in night visual meteorological conditions, and was communicating via a cell phone, with a friend driving northbound on a highway. The pilot was maneuvering the airplane low over the highway, when it contacted power lines that were located about 100 feet above the ground. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground, and came to rest in a ditch, where it was destroyed during a postcrash fire. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions. The pilot reported 4,000 hours of total flight experience on his most recent application for a medical certificate, which was issued about 6 months prior to the accident. The weather reported at an airport that was located about 2 miles southeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, included, a visibility of 10 statue miles, and scattered clouds at 9,500 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.