History of Flight
On June 18, 2009, at 2138 central daylight time, a Cessna R182, registration N182GT, was destroyed when it impacted terrain two miles north of Dougherty, Texas. A post-impact fire occurred. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The airplane departed Houston Southwest Airport (KAXH), Houston, Texas, en route to Hale County Airport (KPVW), Plainview, Texas. Both the pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured.
According to the UNICOM operator at KPVW, a woman had called earlier to ensure someone would be at the airport upon arrival. At approximately 2125, the pilot called the UNICOM frequency to ask which runway was in use. Around 2140, he called again to inquire about weather conditions. The operator attempted to contact the airplane at 2150 but received no response.
Radar data from the FAA showed the flight from 2115 onward. The airplane initially flew at 6,400 feet on a north-northwesterly heading, then reversed course south-southeast and descended to 6,000 feet. It reversed again to north-northwest and climbed to 6,500 feet. A third heading change to east and a fourth to west followed. The last radar return was at 2138:19, 4,256 feet from the main wreckage. The wreckage was located in a field on June 20, 2009, by a local resident.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 53, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land privileges, last issued March 8, 2007, and a third-class medical certificate issued October 20, 2008, with the limitation “must wear lenses for distant – possess glasses for near vision.” His logbook indicated at least 412 total hours, including 45.5 hours in the accident make and model, 17.7 hours at night, and 4.6 hours in simulated instrument conditions. In the previous 90 days he logged 52.8 hours, with 20.1 hours in the last 30 days; night experience was 4.4 and 1.1 hours, respectively. He completed a flight review on April 11, 2009, and obtained high-performance and complex endorsements on May 3, 2009. The pilot-rated passenger held a private pilot certificate, but her medical certificate was not current; her flight experience was not evaluated.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane, a 1980 Cessna R182 (serial number R18201504), held a standard airworthiness certificate. It was powered by a Lycoming O-540 engine rated at 250 horsepower at 2,400 rpm, equipped with a two-blade McCauley propeller. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot and maintained under an annual inspection program. Maintenance records were not located; an invoice indicated an annual inspection was billed on October 21, 2008, and general maintenance was performed on April 10, 2009, at a tachometer time of 3,056.0 hours.
Meteorological Conditions
Synoptic conditions were favorable for high-based thunderstorm development during the afternoon and evening of June 18, 2009. The NWS Storm Prediction Center issued a slight risk of severe thunderstorms. Radar summary at 2120 showed a solid line of thunderstorms west and northwest of the accident site. The 2200 surface analysis depicted an outflow boundary over western Texas and the Texas Panhandle. Lubbock upper air data at 1900 indicated a warm, dry low-level environment with elevated LCL and LFC, a lifted index of -6.3 and K-index of 40, indicating an unstable atmosphere and high probability of thunderstorms with strong outflow winds and microbursts. GOES imagery showed cumulonimbus clouds northwest of the site, with an anvil cloud directly overhead. Lubbock Doppler radar depicted a large area of echoes with maximum reflectivity of 61 dBZ; a fine line associated with an outflow boundary passed through the accident site between 2135 and 2140. Convective SIGMETs warned of severe thunderstorms with cloud tops above 45,000 feet, hail to 1 inch, wind gusts to 70 knots, and possible severe turbulence, lightning, low-level wind shear, and localized IMC. No AIRMETs affected the route. The nearest observation station, KPVW, reported at 2125: wind 270° at 18 knots gusting to 33 knots, visibility 2.5 miles in heavy rain, scattered clouds at 800 feet, broken ceiling at 5,000 feet, overcast at 6,500 feet. At 2145, wind was 270° at 19 knots gusting to 22 knots, visibility 10 miles in light rain. Lubbock (KLBB) reported a wind shift from south to west at 2040 with gusts to 51 knots. Two witnesses described winds of 60–70 mph with blowing dust and dirt, consistent with a windstorm and brownout conditions. No record existed of the pilot obtaining a formal weather briefing.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident scene was in a dormant cotton field at an elevation of 3,100 feet msl. Wreckage was fragmented. A ground scar 2 feet wide and 25 feet long led to a large impact crater 3 to 4 feet deep, containing fragmented instruments, hoses, and wires. The engine and propeller assembly were partially buried, with the lowest end at 6 feet depth. A debris path 85 feet wide by 138 feet long extended eastward, containing fragments of engine accessories, wings, and cabin components. The main wreckage consisted of bent and burned empennage, fuselage, and forward cockpit. Control cables were continuous except for overload-separated aileron cables. Debris fanned out an additional 250 feet. The engine was recovered; both propeller blades were bent 90 degrees around the engine housing, with leading/trailing edge polishing and chordwise scratches. The engine could not be rotated due to impact damage; bore scope examination showed normal operation signatures. Engine accessories were destroyed.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy on the pilot performed at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center concluded the cause of death as “blunt force injuries.” Specimens collected for toxicology by the FAA’s CAMI detected ethanol and propanol in liver, muscle, and kidney tissue, methanol in the liver, and butanol in muscle. No blood was received; carbon monoxide and cyanide tests were not performed. Tests for drugs were negative. Putrefaction was noted due to the two-day delay in wreckage discovery and body recovery.