Summary
On December 28, 1994, a Cessna 182 (N9107X) was involved in an accident near Murphy, ID. The accident resulted in 2 serious injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM THE TERRAIN. FACTORS INCLUDE A DARK NIGHT AND A STRONG HEADWIND.
On December 27, 1994, approximately 2115 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 182, N9107X, impacted the terrain during a VFR descent into Murphy Airport, Murphy, Idaho. The private pilot and his passenger received serious injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed by fire. The aerial observation flight, which was being conducted by the Owyhee County Sheriff, departed Murphy Airport about 2030 MST, and was returning to the airport in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the Sheriff's office, the pilot and his aerial observer were returning to the airport after participating in a search for a stolen vehicle.
This accident is documented in NTSB report SEA95LA033. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9107X.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM THE TERRAIN. FACTORS INCLUDE A DARK NIGHT AND A STRONG HEADWIND.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On December 27, 1994, approximately 2115 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 182, N9107X, impacted the terrain during a VFR descent into Murphy Airport, Murphy, Idaho. The private pilot and his passenger received serious injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed by fire. The aerial observation flight, which was being conducted by the Owyhee County Sheriff, departed Murphy Airport about 2030 MST, and was returning to the airport in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the Sheriff's office, the pilot and his aerial observer were returning to the airport after participating in a search for a stolen vehicle. The pilot said that because it was a dark night, he had no outside visual reference information except the lights at the municipal building near the Murphy Airport. He said that as he descended toward Murphy Airport from the northeast, he used a loran-based altitude/distance step- down procedure to remain clear of the terrain. Just after the pilot looked inside the aircraft "...to set a descent to land," his passenger realized that the lights at Murphy were no longer visible. The passenger then yelled at the pilot, and both of them pulled back on the yoke. About one second later, the aircraft impacted a ridge.
The pilot stated that he had successfully used the same descent profile many times before while descending into Murphy. He said that on this flight the only thing unusual was the dark night and an approximately 40 knot headwind the aircraft was descending into. The headwind was confirmed by the 35 to 40 knot difference between the aircraft's airspeed indicator and the ground speed indicated by the loran.
The pilot also stated that the altimeter may have become stuck during the descent, but he did not know for sure if that had happened.
He also said that except for a brief moment to check for precipitation, he did not use the landing light during the descent.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA95LA033