Accident
On April 10, 2008, at approximately 0130 central daylight time, a Cessna 172K, registration N7490G, was destroyed when it impacted terrain after striking a television antenna and trees at a farmstead near Roseglen, North Dakota. The pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, departed from Garrison Municipal Airport (D05), Garrison, North Dakota, at an unknown time for a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed.
Witness Accounts
A witness reported hearing an airplane depart from D05 around 0106. Another person, who was sleeping in a doublewide trailer at the farmstead, reported hearing a low-flying airplane pass overhead at about 0130, followed by a clanking noise. They went outside to investigate but heard nothing further.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The 27-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate issued on July 12, 2006. He had accumulated approximately 69 total flight hours, including about 7 hours in Cessna 172 aircraft.
Wreckage and Impact
According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the wreckage was discovered at about 1040 on April 10, 2008, in a hayfield approximately 500 feet west of the trailer. The airplane's right wing struck a TV antenna about 40 feet tall, making contact approximately 8 feet from the antenna's top. The airplane then struck several pine trees about 150 feet west of the trailer, traveled another 200 feet, and impacted the ground. The main wreckage came to rest about 30 feet west of the ground impact point.
Examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane impacted in a left-wing, nose-low attitude. The engine and cockpit were bent aft and under the fuselage. The right wing's leading edge sustained compression damage and separated from the fuselage; a 16-foot section of the TV antenna was found wrapped around the right wing, about 6 feet inboard of the wingtip. Control cable continuity was confirmed for the right aileron and right flap, with cable ends showing tension overload separation. The flap actuator jackscrew measured 0.15 inches, indicating fully retracted flaps. The left wing exhibited compression damage at the wingtip but remained attached. Elevator and rudder controls were intact, with cable continuity forward to the cabin area. The elevator trim tab measured 1.3 inches, corresponding to a neutral position. One propeller blade was bent forward with chordwise polishing and a gouge near the tip; the other blade was twisted with chordwise polishing.
Toxicology Report
An autopsy of the pilot was conducted by the North Dakota Department of Health on April 14, 2008, listing the cause of death as multiple injuries due to the crash. A forensic toxicology report from the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute detected ethanol in blood (45 mg/dL), vitreous humor (75 mg/dL), urine (171 mg/dL), and brain (77 mg/dL). No carbon monoxide, cyanide, or drugs were detected. The blood alcohol concentration was 0.05 percent by weight. FAA regulation 14 CFR Part 91.17 prohibits operating an aircraft with a blood alcohol level of 0.04 percent or higher.