Cessna 182Q N91AZ

Summary

On 19 November 2021 at about 18:40 local time, a Cessna 182Q registered N91AZ, operated by Gulf Coast Helicopters Inc, was involved in an accident near Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 November 2021 at 18:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

32.5726, -104.0925

Aircraft

Cessna 182Q

Registration

N91AZ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Gulf Coast Helicopters Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Odessa → Seminole

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22FA043

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain separation from an FM tower guy wire while on an aerial survey flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting an oil and pipeline aerial observation flight. The airplane maneuvered and skirted around a Frequency Modulation (FM) tower to the south and continued a left turn to the northwest, clearing the tower, as the pilot resumed his pipeline observation. The tower’s height, as depicted on a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sectional chart, was 715 ft above the ground (agl) and was lit for nighttime operations. Shortly after, the airplane maneuvered to the southwest towards the same tower and the airplane struck a guy wire about 500 ft agl. The airplane impacted terrain and a postcrash fire ensued. A postaccident examination of the airplane wreckage did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was likely headed towards the local airport and did not see the tower guy lines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.