History of Flight
On March 3, 2013, about 1558 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172M, N5129R, impacted trees and snow-covered mountainous terrain 11 nautical miles east-northeast of Saratoga, Wyoming. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Bryce Canyon Airport (KBCE), Bryce Canyon, Utah, at 1225 with a destination of Laramie Regional Airport (KLAR), Laramie, Wyoming.
A witness east of Saratoga reported seeing the airplane fly overhead in an easterly direction near the time of the accident. The airplane was only visible when directly overhead through an opening in low and broken clouds, at an estimated altitude of 500 feet above ground. The engine sound continued east, then headed north along the foothills of Pennock Mountain. The witness stated that the foothills and Pennock Mountain were obscured by the low clouds.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the estimated time of arrival at KLAR was 1620, and the flight was considered overdue at 1650. When the VFR flight plan was not closed, an information request was issued by the Prescott Flight Service Station, followed by an alert notice at 1719. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal at 1558 and contacted the Casper FSS and the Carbon County Sheriff's Office. Local search and rescue were contacted about 1700. Search efforts were interrupted several times due to variable ELT position estimates and deteriorating weather. The airplane was located on March 5 at about 1249 by an Air Force helicopter crew using the ELT signal.
Personnel Information
The 63-year-old pilot held commercial and certified flight instructor certificates with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. He also held an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate. His second-class medical certificate was issued June 21, 2012, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses. The pilot's logbook indicated total flight time of 3,415 hours, with 23 hours in the preceding 90 days.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 172M is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane. The airplane had a total airframe time of 13,190 hours at the most recent 100-hour inspection on January 5, 2013. The Hobbs hour meter read 4,880.2 hours at the accident site. The engine was a Textron Lycoming O-320-E2D, serial number L-44988-27A, with 11,977 hours total time and 1,328 hours since major overhaul.
Meteorological Information
An automated surface weather observation at Rawlins Municipal Airport (KRWL), 38 miles northwest of the accident site, 5 minutes before the accident indicated wind from 250 degrees at 21 knots gusting to 28 knots, visibility 10 miles or greater, a broken ceiling at 2,000 and 2,500 feet above ground level (agl), and an overcast ceiling at 8,000 feet agl. Temperature was 3°C, dew point 0°C, and altimeter setting 29.79 inches of mercury.
The pilot received a preflight briefing depicting a low pressure system over northeast Wyoming with a trough extending southeast. Station models over southern Wyoming showed west-southwesterly winds, light rain/drizzle, and overcast clouds. No significant weather echoes were reported over the region. At KLAR, winds were 17-19 knots gusting to 25-29 knots. Area Forecast charts indicated broken clouds and westerly winds at 20 knots gusting to 30 knots over southeastern Wyoming. Inflight weather advisories (AIRMET) were issued for mountain obscuration and moderate turbulence.
McIDAS satellite imagery revealed low clouds over the accident site with indications of mountain wave activity and orographic clouds.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of the accident site by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the airplane impacted snow-covered terrain and several medium trees about 5-6 inches in diameter. The airplane came to rest alongside tall trees on the east side of Pennock Mountain at elevation 8,570 feet, oriented on a heading of 214 degrees magnetic. The first identified point of contact was a deep trough in the snow about 3 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 2 feet deep. Three impacted trees were broken about 6 feet up from their bases, located within 20 feet between the trough and the left wing tip. A section of tree about 12 feet long and 5 inches wide was severed cleanly in a diagonal linear pattern on one end and found on the right side of the fuselage, straddling the right horizontal and vertical stabilizers. Another similar tree section was found during recovery.
The airplane remained intact except for separation of the left wing tip fairing. Both wings had leading edge impact damage; the left wing upper surface had buckling near the root. The right wing side strut was bent upward at mid-section. The fuselage was crushed rearward at the firewall, with buckling aft of the baggage door and forward of the right horizontal stabilizer. The right horizontal stabilizer leading edge, vertical stabilizer, and rudder had impact damage. The engine and cowling assembly were pushed aft. One visible propeller blade was bent aft near the tip. The windshield separated and was found in sections. The top side of the left door contacted the lower side of the left wing. The pilot's control yoke separated from its control rod and was found hanging on the exterior. The left instrument panel and center console were damaged. The ELT was separated from its mount but remained attached to the antenna connection.
Fuel from the left wing tank tested negative for water contamination; fuel could not be removed from the right wing due to its position. First responders found the pilot beneath the airplane's wing near the left entry door. The left door was ajar, and scene evidence suggested the pilot egressed through the broken windshield to the left side. The pilot was dressed in multiple layers including long underwear, with a sleeping bag found under the torso. Survival gear was found on the pilot and inside the airplane, including additional food, water, and another sleeping bag.
A postaccident examination of the airframe, flight controls, and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by McKee Medical Center determined the cause of death as hypothermia due to extreme winter conditions. The injuries sustained during the accident were not in themselves severe enough to be considered fatal. Forensic toxicology performed by the FAA detected famotidine (Pepcid) in urine but not in blood. No carbon monoxide or volatiles were found.
Survival Aspects
The pilot's seat was found at its full forward position with damage to three support feet; seat rollers were secured on tracks, and no secondary seat stops were observed. The seat belt and dual shoulder harness assemblies were installed on February 9, 2003. The pilot restraint, manufactured by Aero Fabricators, was attached to the airframe; the lap belt was undamaged, but the shoulder harness webbing had separated at the stitched attachment junction at the "Y" that joins the shoulder straps behind the occupant's head. No installation anomalies were noted. The seat belt assemblies were removed for further examination.
Testing of exemplar shoulder harness webbing at an independent laboratory measured breaking strength of approximately 20.9 kilonewtons (4,700 pounds), meeting the upper torso requirement of 17.8 kN but not the pelvic requirement of 22.2 kN under current SAE AS 8043B standard. However, the webbing met TSO C22f standards in effect at the time of Aero Fabricators' STC approval, which required a pelvic breaking strength of 2,250 pounds (10 kN). Thread testing showed the thread met minimum breaking strength.
Tests and Research
The ELT was tested by the manufacturer and no anomalies were noted. A personal GPS unit recovered from the airplane revealed a flight track for approximately 3 hours 25 minutes, departing from KBCE and ending near the accident site. The track showed initial northeasterly heading at 12,000-12,500 feet mean sea level (msl) with groundspeed about 120 knots. It then turned south near Meeker, Colorado, then north-northeast, descending to about 8,500 feet msl toward Dixon, Wyoming. The track turned east, crossed over Shively Field Airport (SAA) in Saratoga at 3,000 feet agl, continued east, made a 360-degree turn, crossed near Kennaday Peak (10,810 feet), then turned northeast and made two consecutive 360-degree turns followed by an S-turn. It then proceeded another 3 miles east before heading west toward SAA. For the last 6 minutes, the track continued westward between 10,000 and 9,000 feet msl, ending at 8,940 feet msl (about 900 feet agl) with a ground speed of 58 knots.
Other Accident
On September 1, 2012, an Aeronca 7AC (N82383) sustained substantial damage after impacting terrain during initial climb from Brighton Airport, Michigan. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger fatally injured. During wreckage documentation, the shoulder harness at the pilot position was separated at the same type of stitched attachment junction as in this accident.