SANTA TERESA, NM, USA
N5530B
CESSNA 182
DURING A DARK NIGHT FLIGHT THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT DEPARTED FROM AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT FROM A RUNWAY THAT PLACED THE INITIAL CLIMB AND CRUISE OVER DARK DESERT TERRAIN. A RELATIVE OF THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT LIKE NIGHT FLYING AND CONSIDERED SUCH FLYING UNSAFE IN THE SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE. SEVERAL PILOTS, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN THE AIRPLANE, REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FLY AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR AND THE COCKPIT LIGHTS. WITNESSES INDICATED THAT THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED SEVERAL NIGHT TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS THE NIGHT BEFORE THIS FLIGHT; HOWEVER, THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK SHOWED .4 HOUR OF NIGHT TIME LOGGED DURING THE LAST 18 MONTHS PREVIOUS TO THIS FLIGHT. IMPACT OCCURRED INVERTED RIGHT WING TIP FIRST AND THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS 245 FEET LONG. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE DISCOVERED. TOXICOLOGICAL TESTS REVEALED A 17% SATURATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE.
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT, PILOT'S APPREHENSION, PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, POOR INSTRUMENT LOCATION, VISUAL PERCEPTION AND INADEQUATE COCKPIT LIGHTING.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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