History of Flight
On August 27, 2016, at approximately 2015 central daylight time, a Cessna 172R airplane, registration N984RA, struck the waters of Lake Pontchartrain while conducting a visual approach to Runway 09 at Lakefront Airport (NEW), New Orleans, Louisiana. The flight, operated by Flight Academy of New Orleans doing business as New Orleans Aerial Air Tours under 14 CFR Part 91, had departed NEW at 1930 for a local sightseeing tour. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the airplane was not on a flight plan.
According to the operator, a passenger had purchased tickets for a 45-minute tour for two people, scheduled for a 1930 departure. The surviving passenger reported that she and the other passenger occupied the rear seats, with the pilot in the left front seat. The flight appeared normal until nearing the airport, when it began to rain. She could see little through the windshield, but the pilot pointed out four red lights ahead and identified them as the airport. The passenger noted the pilot was "straining" to look above the dashboard and outside the windshield. Looking out the side window, she observed water below and estimated the airplane was 4 to 6 feet above the water. Shortly thereafter, the airplane hit the water about half a mile from the runway. The passenger stated that it was still raining when she reached the surface and that the engine was running up to the moment of impact.
Radar data showed the airplane's flight path over the city. As it approached the airport, the airplane was at 900 feet above ground level (agl) about 3.6 miles from the runway, then descended. The last radar return placed the airplane 0.6 nautical mile from the airport at 100 feet agl. An overlay of the radar track with weather data indicated the airplane entered an area of rain showers during the approach.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multi-engine land, instrument airplane, and a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine sea. He held a first-class FAA medical certificate issued May 11, 2016, with the limitation "must wear corrective lenses." At the time of the exam, the pilot reported 9,941 total flight hours, with 170 hours in the previous six months.
Meteorological Information
At 2000, the automated weather observation station (AWOS) at NEW reported wind from 120° at 5 knots, 5 miles visibility in light rain, scattered clouds at 2,200 feet, broken clouds at 3,800 feet, overcast at 7,500 feet, temperature 82°F, dew point 77°F, and altimeter 29.96 inches of mercury. Distant lightning was noted to the west and northwest.
At 2023, the NEW AWOS recorded wind from 150° at 8 knots, 10 miles visibility, broken clouds at 2,200 feet, overcast at 6,500 feet, temperature 82°F, dew point 75°F, and altimeter 29.97 inches of mercury. Lightning was noted to the west and northwest.
At New Orleans International Airport (MSY), about 12 miles west of NEW, weather at 1953 included calm wind, 8 miles visibility in thunderstorms and light rain, a few cumulonimbus at 3,300 feet agl, scattered clouds at 7,500 and 15,000 feet, ceiling broken at 25,000 feet, temperature 80°F, dew point 75°F, altimeter 29.96 inches of mercury. Remarks noted rain ended at 1917 and resumed at 1929; thunderstorms ended at 1921 and resumed at 1941; frequent in-cloud and cloud-to-cloud lightning north; occasional in-cloud and cloud-to-cloud lightning distant west through northwest; thunderstorm north moving west; cumulonimbus cloud distant west through northwest.
Astronomical conditions: At the time of the accident, both the sun and moon were more than 15° below the horizon. Sunset occurred at 1928 and civil twilight ended at 1952.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane struck Lake Pontchartrain short of Runway 09 at NEW. The airplane and occupants were recovered about three days later and transported to shore by barge. A flight control continuity check revealed no anomalies. The wreckage was disassembled and examined on September 15, 2016, by the NTSB, FAA, and representatives from the engine and airframe manufacturers. The forward fuselage and left wing showed impact damage; the nose landing gear was pushed aft. Engine damage from water submersion prevented functional testing, but the examination found no abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the New Orleans Forensic Center determined the pilot's cause of death as "asphyxia due to drowning." Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected ethanol at 0.103 mg/dL in liver and 0.087 mg/dL in muscle, along with n-propanol (a postmortem bacterial product). Clomipramine and its metabolite n-desmethylclomipramine were identified in liver and muscle. Clomipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant used for obsessive-compulsive disorder; it does not carry a warning about operating vehicles or machinery and is not considered directly impairing.