History of Flight
On April 24, 2016, about 1815 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182L airplane, N42411, was substantially damaged during an in-flight collision with trees and terrain near Carrollton, Ohio. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, was on a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Carroll County – Tolson Airport (TSO) about 1800, destined for Salem Airpark (38D). FAA radar data showed the aircraft climbing to about 3,250 ft msl with a ground speed of 140 knots before turning and varying altitude and speed. The final radar point at 1815:44 indicated a groundspeed of 71 knots and altitude of 1,525 ft msl, about 0.5 mile north of the accident site. No witnesses were identified. An ALNOT was issued on April 28 when efforts to locate the pilot failed; the wreckage was found on April 29 with assistance from cell phone and radar data.
Personnel Information
The pilot's logbook, recovered at the accident site, listed eight individual flights, with the final entry on the accident day. The logbook did not contain flight time brought forward from a previous logbook nor a flight review endorsement. The pilot's most recent FAA medical certificate was issued in June 2012 and was no longer valid; it required corrective lenses. At that time, the pilot reported 2,800 hours total flight time. No subsequent medical certificate applications were on file.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the pilot purchased the accident airplane in March 1976. Maintenance records were not available to the NTSB. The logbook noted an annual inspection due June 15, 2016. A local mechanic reported performing an annual inspection in June 2015.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in a wooded ravine about 5.5 miles northeast of TSO. The airplane came to rest upright about 100 feet from the edge of the woods on a 200° magnetic heading. A clearing north of the site was about 24 ft higher in elevation. Postaccident examination by the NTSB and FAA, with manufacturer assistance, revealed no preimpact anomalies.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy attributed the pilot's death to blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing by the FAA was negative for all drugs; no carbon monoxide or ethanol was detected in blood, but 10 mg/dL ethanol was found in urine.
Tests and Research
A Lowrance AirMap 600c handheld GPS unit was recovered. It provided position data (latitude and longitude) but no date, time, or altitude. The data comprised four distinct segments, two of which appeared to correspond to flights between TSO and 38D.