Cessna 182 N2012F

Summary

On 19 September 2016 at about 01:31 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N2012F, operated by Keller Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Ephraim, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 September 2016 at 01:31

Classification

Accident

Location

Ephraim, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Ephraim-Gibraltar (3D2)

Coordinates

45.1458, -87.1972

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N2012F

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Keller Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Green Bay → Ephraim

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN16FA373

2 people died.

The pilot's improper decision to execute a maneuvering approach at low altitude during night conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was flying a passenger, who was a student pilot, home after her completion of a lesson with a flight instructor. During the night arrival to a nontowered airport, the pilot descended to about 150 ft above the ground on an extended right base to the runway. He subsequently flew across the runway's final approach course and began a left turn away from the runway, which continued for about 300° until impact with 50-ft-tall trees.      Although adequate visibility and moon illumination existed for a night visual approach, the runway's final approach was over an unpopulated state park surrounded by water on three sides with little cultural lighting. The lack of visual cues over this dark area likely contributed to the pilot perceiving his altitude to be higher than it was. Additionally, when the pilot turned left toward the dark area, he turned the airplane away from the runway's visual glideslope indicator, which could have provided the pilot with information about his height above the terrain. Further, the low altitude at which the pilot approached the airport and subsequently initiated his maneuvering to align with the runway did not allow for any imprecision in altitude control. It is unlikely that the pilot's diabetes, high blood pressure, or medications used to treat these conditions impaired the pilot or contributed to the accident. Additionally, there is no evidence the pilot's coronary artery disease or bilateral cataracts impaired the pilot or contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.