What happened
On October 18, 2013, at approximately 00:45, a Cessna 177A, registration N30495, collided with terrain west of Clayton, Oklahoma. The aircraft, operated by Eagle Sky Patrol, Inc., was traveling from Tahlequah Municipal Airport (KTQH) to Terrell Municipal Airport (KTRL).
The pilot had been flying since approximately 10:00 the previous day, having traveled to Kansas and Iowa to view other aircraft before stopping for fuel in Tahlequah. At 23:49, the aircraft departed KTQH under visual meteorological conditions.
Following the impact, a post-impact fire occurred. The pilot, a 54-year-old commercial pilot with over 22,000 flight hours, sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage, which was located in an area characterized by mountainous terrain and tall deciduous and coniferous trees. The initial point of contact was identified at the tops of several coniferous trees. The damage pattern on the trees and the aircraft was consistent with a wings-level flight path at the time of impact.
Mechanical examination of the Cessna 177A revealed the following:
- The left wing separated from the fuselage and came to rest in a tree.
- The engine separated from the airframe aft of the firewall.
- The propeller blades exhibited impact, heat, and fire damage.
- The engine and related systems showed no mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation.
- The altimeter showed an indicated altitude of 3,830 feet at the time of impact.
Toxicology results for the pilot were negative for drugs and volatiles.
Findings
- The aircraft impacted tall trees in mountainous terrain during a night flight.
- At the time of the accident, the pilot had been awake for at least 17 hours.
- Visual meteorological conditions were present, with a full moon 63 degrees above the horizon.
- No mechanical failures were found that would have precluded the normal operation of the aircraft.