History of Flight
On February 4, 2012, about 0630 mountain standard time, a Cessna T206H, registration N445GH, collided with level terrain shortly after takeoff from Show Low Regional Airport, Show Low, Arizona. The pilot was operating the airplane under 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; two passengers sustained serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage and was partially consumed by post-impact fire. The flight departed about one minute prior to the accident, en route to Boulder City Municipal Airport, Nevada. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed.
A witness driving northbound on Route 77 observed the airplane descending steeply at high speed. She initially thought it was landing but noted it was higher and faster than appropriate. She saw the airplane's strobe lights and a white light, with no smoke or fire. About seven minutes after the accident, fog enveloped the area.
Another instrument-rated pilot departed his home at 0610, arriving at the airport at 0615. He observed haze forming and expedited his preflight. During taxi, the runway lights turned off; he reactivated them. After takeoff, at 100-200 feet, he entered a cloud layer and lost ground reference. He became slightly disoriented but recovered by instrument reference. He was unaware of the accident.
A surviving passenger in an aft seat recalled the pilot performed an uneventful preflight and taxi. Shortly after rotation, she felt the airplane turn to the right, which surprised her given the low altitude.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicological tests detected diclofenac and lorazepam in urine, and lorazepam in blood (0.011 ug/mL). The pilot held a third-class medical certificate with a limitation for near vision glasses. He reported using prescription medications for GERD and hypothyroidism but did not report using lorazepam, which had been prescribed since 2007 for anxiety and agitation.
Aircraft Information
The high-wing, fixed landing gear Cessna T206H, manufactured in 2008, was equipped with a turbocharged Lycoming engine and a McCauley three-blade constant-speed propeller. It had a Honeywell KC140 autopilot and Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck. The most recent 100-hour/inspection occurred on July 14, 2011; an oil change was performed on January 24, 2012. The airplane was last fueled with 46.6 gallons of 100LL on January 28, 2012. Total flight hours at the time of the accident could not be determined due to instrument damage.
Meteorological Information
Show Low Airport's AWOS reported at 0615: calm wind, visibility 10 miles, broken ceiling at 300 feet, temperature -6°C, dew point -7°C, altimeter 30.15 inHg. By 0635, visibility reduced to 8 miles with overcast at 200 feet; by 0651, freezing fog with 1/4-mile visibility and 100-foot overcast. The pilot did not request weather services. Civil twilight began at 0649; sunrise at 0716.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was about 1,700 feet north of runway 6 approach end, elevation 6,371 feet msl. The first impact point was a 10-inch-wide, 40-foot-long swath of excavated dirt oriented on 340° magnetic. A second ground disruption began 25 feet northwest, on 360°, 25 feet long and up to 6 feet wide. Debris field extended 260 feet to main wreckage. The main structure came to rest on a heading of 275°, rotated onto its right side. The engine separated from the firewall and inverted. Both wings sustained leading edge crush and thermal damage. All major sections were accounted for.
Survival Aspects
Both deceased occupants remained buckled into their front seats, which detached and ejected from the airframe. One surviving occupant in the aft right seat remained buckled; the seat broke free. He was removed by first responders. The other survivor in the left aft seat unbuckled and extricated herself. All seats had AmSafe airbag systems; all four airbags deployed.
Tests and Research
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The elevator trim tab was set to 5° tab-down (takeoff). The flap actuator indicated a 20° flap position. The propeller blades exhibited chordwise abrasions, leading edge gouges, and tip twist. Engine compression was attained on all cylinders; internal continuity established. The vacuum pump was thermally damaged but vanes intact.
Additional Information
No radar coverage was available at the airport elevation. The aircraft's flight data memory card was not located and presumed consumed by fire or not installed.