N62731

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 19, 2015, about 2230 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N62731, was substantially damaged after it collided with mountainous terrain near Townsend, Montana. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a personal flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed about the time of the accident, and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight. The flight originated from Helena Regional Airport (HLN) about 2215, and was destined for White Sulphur Springs Airport (7S6), White Sulphur Springs, Montana.

According to the pilot's wife, her husband departed 76S for HLN about 2000 to pick-up a friend who was scheduled to arrive on a commercial flight at 2100. He landed approximately 45 minutes later, picked up the passenger and then called his wife at 2211 before they departed on the accident flight.

On the following morning, Salt Lake Center recorded an emergency locator transmitter signal near Bozeman, Montana, that was also picked up by a low flying aircraft. The pilot's flight instructor, who was the Chief of Safety for the Montana Department of Aeronautics, subsequently initiated an aerial search, and located the airplane about 0830.

The accident pilot's wife reported that her husband had flown from 7S6 to HLN twice on the day of the accident. During the first trip, her husband collected some belongings from Helena, and then returned to their home in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. The pilot's wife had driven to HLN to help transport some of the items that would not fit on the airplane. She then returned to White Sulphur Springs at the same time her husband was preparing to leave on his second trip to HLN to pick-up his friend who was returning to White Sulphur Springs after visiting his daughter in Ohio. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONA review of the pilot's logbook revealed that he had amassed a total of 280 flight hours at the time of the accident; about 277 of which were in the accident airplane make and model. The pilot had accrued a total of 3.8 hours of total night flight experience; 3 hours of which were completed with an instructor in October 2013, and 0.8 hours were completed over two separate flights without an instructor. The pilot's first night flight without his instructor took place in December 2014 over 0.4 flight hours. He recorded another night flight about 1 month before the accident, during which time he accumulated 0.4 flight hours. The logbook indicated that both flights consisted of 3-4 landings in the airport traffic pattern. According to the pilot's flight instructor, they completed one instructional cross country night flight from Helena to Bozeman. The second instructional night flight consisted of 12 landings at a local airport and did not include any cross-country flight time. The last entry in the logbook showed that the pilot had flown from 7S6 to HLN on August 19, 2015.

Flight Training

According to the pilot's flight instructor, the pilot began taking flight lessons from him in April 2013 when the instructor was employed by a flight school at HLN. The pilot received instruction in a Cessna 172M model airplane until he purchased the accident airplane later that year. In September 2014, his flight instructor endorsed him to fly solo to commute between 7S6 and HLN. The instructor stated that the pilot's upset recovery abilities and aeronautical decision making were "typical of someone starting in their late 50's."

Private Pilot Examination

Records furnished by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that the pilot was unsuccessful during his initial private pilot check ride. According to the designated pilot examiner who administered the check ride, the pilot did not demonstrate adequate pilotage during the examination. The pilot deviated from his assigned course by approximately 7 nautical miles, and was unable to identify multiple terrain features. The pilot subsequently completed two instructional flights that included navigation practice to prepare for the follow-up examination to his private pilot check ride.

72-Hour History

A follow-up interview with the pilot's wife was used to construct a 72-hour history of the pilot's activities. On Sunday, August 16, 2015, the pilot attended a church service, and completed some activities around the house. During the following 2 days, the pilot attended gatherings at a local café for coffee, and performed some work within the community. The pilot's wife observed no abnormalities in the pilot's behavior or sleep patterns on the day of the accident and the 3 days that preceded it.

The pilot's wife reported that she had flown with him between 7S6 and HLN about four times. During these flights, they would typically fly over the mountain range; however, if the clouds were "too low," they would circumvent the mountain. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONAccording to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1982, and registered to the pilot and his wife on July 26, 2013.

The airplane was powered by a Lycoming O-320-D2J, a normally-aspirated, direct drive, air cooled, 160 hp engine. A maintenance history was constructed from a collection of work orders that were provided by the pilot's maintenance facility as the aircraft logbooks were not recovered. The work orders indicated that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on June 25, 2015; at that time, the recorded tachometer reading was 9,056.6 flight hours. Although the tachometer was found a few feet from the main wreckage, the tachometer time at the time of the accident could not be verified due to the condition of the unit.

Refueling records provided by the 76S airport manager showed that the pilot purchased 13.6 gallons of 100 low lead aviation grade gasoline on August 13, 2015, at a self-service fuel pump. The pilot noted "fuel" under some entries in his personal logbook, but did not include the total fuel quantity; therefore, a fuel quantity for the accident flight could not be computed. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONAccording to an NTSB Meteorological study, the 2253 recorded weather observation at HLN included winds from 250 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 4 statute miles, haze, an overcast cloud layer at 4,100 feet above ground level (agl), temperature 22 degrees C, dew point 5 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.86 inches of mercury.

A Terminal Aerodrome Forecast was issued for HLN at 1908. The field weather forecast for the accident time included visibility of 4 statute miles, haze, and scattered clouds at 4,000 feet agl. An Area Forecast was issued at 2045 by the Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The narrative forecasted a broken smoke layer at 8,000 feet and occasionally visibility between 3-5 statute miles in smoke and haze.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes a Smoke Text Product, which is a narrative used to describe significant areas of smoke associated with active fires. A Smoke Text Product was issued on the day of the accident that reported heavy smoke over parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, forecast for that evening. The report described moderate density smoke farther east into Central Montana.

An Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) advisory was issued as 2045 for mountain obscuration due to smoke and haze at the time of the accident in a region inclusive of the accident site.

The United States Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department for Townsend recorded the moon phase as a waxing crescent Moon with 22% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. The recorded Moonset for Townsend was 2243.

A witness reported the visibility at 76S on the night of the accident was approximately 2 statute miles, and the sky was "pitch black."

According to Lockheed Martin Flight Services, the pilot did not file a flight plan or request a weather briefing through them or DUATS. AIRPORT INFORMATIONAccording to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1982, and registered to the pilot and his wife on July 26, 2013.

The airplane was powered by a Lycoming O-320-D2J, a normally-aspirated, direct drive, air cooled, 160 hp engine. A maintenance history was constructed from a collection of work orders that were provided by the pilot's maintenance facility as the aircraft logbooks were not recovered. The work orders indicated that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on June 25, 2015; at that time, the recorded tachometer reading was 9,056.6 flight hours. Although the tachometer was found a few feet from the main wreckage, the tachometer time at the time of the accident could not be verified due to the condition of the unit.

Refueling records provided by the 76S airport manager showed that the pilot purchased 13.6 gallons of 100 low lead aviation grade gasoline on August 13, 2015, at a self-service fuel pump. The pilot noted "fuel" under some entries in his personal logbook, but did not include the total fuel quantity; therefore, a fuel quantity for the accident flight could not be computed. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane impacted an area of mountainous terrain that was located on the rising face of a ridge at a terrain elevation of 5,046 feet. All four corners of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. A debris path that measured about 100 feet long by 80 feet wide was oriented on a 351-degree magnetic heading. The initial impact point (IIP) was identified by a broken green aircraft position light and silver colored signatures that were vertically oriented, and spanned approximately 13 feet in length on a rock face. The airplane main wreckage, comprised of the cockpit, fuselage, and empennage, was located about 70 feet beyond the IIP. A local sheriff detected an odor at the accident site that resembled fuel.

Airframe

The outboard section of the right wing was located ...