Cessna R182 N778RK

Summary

On 17 July 2009 at about 13:10 local time, a Cessna R182 registered N778RK, operated by Houston Air Inc., was involved in an accident near Hayesville, North Carolina, 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

17 July 2009 at 13:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Hayesville, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.1506, -83.7481

Aircraft

Cessna R182

Registration

N778RK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Houston Air Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cleveland → Andrews

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09FA411

1 person died.

Flight into terrain for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed under visual flight rules from his home airfield in order to reposition the airplane for routine maintenance. A radar target, identified as the accident airplane, tracked generally northbound after departure, before it turned directly toward the destination airport. The airplane gradually descended from 5,600 feet to 4,700 feet, where the last radar target was observed about 27 nautical miles southeast of the destination. The accident site was located 6 miles east of the destination airport, at an elevation of 4,667 feet. Examination of the wreckage path revealed signatures of a wings-level, controlled flight into terrain-type impact. No evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane was observed. Weather conditions at the time of the accident, and in the mountainous area where the accident site was located, were generally consistent with instrument meteorological conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.