Accident Details
On December 29, 2015, about 0618 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 172 airplane, registration N914CP, was destroyed after impacting the side of an office building in Anchorage, Alaska. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Merrill Field, Anchorage, about 0600. Dark night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed.
Witness Accounts
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying in an easterly direction at very low altitude over the city just before striking the northwest corner of the office building. The right wing struck the building between the fourth and fifth floors, severing the entire wing at the fuselage attachment points. The wreckage continued east while descending into an adjacent office building, then struck an electrical transformer. A postcrash fire incinerated the airplane wreckage.
Weather Conditions
The closest weather reporting facility, Merrill Field Airport (about 2 miles east), reported at 0553: wind from 170° at 8 knots gusting 18 knots; few clouds at 7,000 feet; visibility 10 statute miles; temperature 48°F, dew point 26°F; altimeter 29.57 inHg.
Postmortem and Toxicology
A postmortem examination on December 30, 2015, by the Alaska State Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute performed toxicology tests on February 9, 2016, detecting the drug Zolpidem in the pilot's liver and kidney. According to the US National Library of Medicine, Zolpidem is a sedative-hypnotic prescription medication used to treat insomnia that slows brain activity to allow sleep.
Investigation
According to CAP management personnel, the flight had not been authorized. The Anchorage office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has assumed jurisdiction and control of the investigation.