History of Flight
On July 4, 2016, at approximately 2300 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172F (N7870U) struck the ocean shortly after departing Brookings Airport (BOK) in Brookings, Oregon. The airplane was destroyed, and the private pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal cross-country trip, with an intended destination of Grants Pass Airport in Grants Pass, Oregon. Night visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed.
According to the airplane's co-owner, the pilot had departed earlier that morning from Hollister Municipal Airport in Hollister, California. After refueling at Rohnerville Airport in Fortuna, California, he landed at Brookings around 1430. No mechanical issues were reported during the flight.
A witness located about 1.5 miles west of Brookings Airport near the shoreline reported hearing an airplane around the time of the accident. He described a reduction in engine power, similar to a throttle reduction during landing, and noted that the engine did not sputter. Radar data showed the aircraft turning left to a west heading after takeoff and climbing to about 700 feet above ground level near the coast. The final radar target was near the witness's location, approximately 1.5 miles southeast of where personal effects from the occupants later washed ashore.
After the pilot failed to arrive at Grants Pass, his family contacted authorities. The FAA issued an alert, which was canceled on July 7 when personal effects were discovered on a beach about 3 miles northwest of Brookings.
Personnel
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating but no instrument rating. He had a third-class medical certificate issued January 13, 2014, with a corrective lens requirement. According to his logbook, he had 207 total flight hours, all in the accident airplane. The last logbook entry was March 7, 2016, recording a cross-country trip totaling 13.87 hours, including 3 hours of night flying. No other night flight time was logged in the preceding six months.
Aircraft
The four-seat, high-wing Cessna 172F (serial number 17251870) was built in France in 1964 for the U.S. Air Force as a trainer. It was powered by a Continental Motors O-300 engine. Maintenance records show the engine was overhauled on November 15, 2013, at a total time of 4,372 hours. The last annual inspection occurred on November 11, 2015, when the engine had accumulated 279 hours since overhaul.
Meteorological Information
Weather at Brookings Airport at 2256 included calm winds, visibility of 10 statute miles or greater, clear skies, temperature 13°C, dew point 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.06 inHg. Sunset was at 2056, civil twilight ended at 2130, and moonset was at 2104.
Wreckage and Impact
The main wreckage was located in high-current waters about 2 miles west of Brookings and was not recovered. Search efforts continued for over 30 days until the occupants were located. Only the nose landing gear assembly and seat foam were retrieved.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Oregon State Police Morgue determined the cause of death as severe blunt trauma. The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory conducted toxicology tests, which detected ethanol at 0.041 gm/dL in cavity blood and 0.017 gm/dL in urine, as well as N-propanol in both samples. Ethanol can be produced postmortem by microbial action, which may also generate N-propanol.
Additional Information
The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook notes that night flying differs from day flying due to limited external references, requiring greater reliance on flight instruments. It describes spatial disorientation as a hazard when visual references are obscured, as the inner ear may provide false sensations of attitude changes.