History of Flight
On November 4, 2017, at approximately 1630 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, registration N251CH, sustained substantial damage when it struck terrain near Hatch Municipal Airport (E05), Hatch, New Mexico. The pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was owned by Caribbean Paradise LLC and operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The flight had departed El Paso International Airport (ELP) earlier that day, landing at E05 around 1300. The occupants went to a local restaurant for lunch and returned to the airport around 1600. The departure time from E05 is unknown, and there were no witnesses. The airplane impacted rugged desert terrain approximately 0.56 nautical mile west of the departure end of runway 29. The flight did not reach ELP as expected, prompting an FAA Alert Notice. The wreckage was located the following afternoon.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, single-engine airplane (serial number 1727105) was built in 1978. It was equipped with a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360-A4M engine per Supplemental Type Certificate SA4428SW, which increased power from 160 to 180 horsepower. Another STC (SA2196CE) raised the maximum gross weight from 2,300 lbs to 2,550 lbs. The estimated takeoff weight was 2,526 lbs, based on estimated empty weight (1,513 lbs), pilot and front passenger (450 lbs), rear passengers (385 lbs), baggage (5 lbs), and fuel (180 lbs; total capacity 40 gallons, with 30 gallons estimated on board minus start/taxi/runup fuel of 7 lbs).
Meteorological and Airport Information
At 1635, surface weather at Las Cruces International Airport (27 nm south) reported wind from 220° at 15 knots gusting to 18 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 23°C, dew point 6°C, and altimeter 30.05 inHg. Sunrise was at 0729 and sunset at 1815. The elevation at E05 is 4,456 ft, and the calculated density altitude at 1635 was 6,371 ft.
Wreckage and Impact Examination
The airplane struck terrain in a steep, left-wing-low, nose-down attitude on a heading of 110°. A left wingtip piece with a red navigation lens was found near the initial impact point. The left strut step lay 17 ft to the right. A depression in the sand stretched to a 5-ft-by-4-ft depression near the step, containing nose and engine cowling pieces. A 25-ft skid mark led to the engine and propeller in front of the main wreckage; the nose was aligned on a 020° heading. First responders reported the tail initially vertical but later resting on the ground.
The left wing showed aft crushing of the outboard leading edge, was buckled and broken about mid-span, and the left strut was buckled. The left wheel separated. No fuel was found in the left tank; fuel lines were broken at the wing root. The 25-gallon tank exhibited hydraulic deformation. The right wing had aft crushing of the wingtip but remained largely intact; the right wheel was undamaged. No fuel was found in the right tank. The empennage remained attached but the tail was buckled aft of the rear seats and offset left. The cabin and engine compartment showed extensive downward and aft crushing. The engine remained attached; fractures were overload-type. The fuel strainer was clean except for a light blue material (similar to RTV silicone) around the top of the screen. The ignition was in BOTH, master switches on, fuel selector handle in BOTH (valve off due to impact damage), throttle full power, mixture full rich (cable separated), carburetor heat cold. Most instruments were destroyed; the airspeed indicated 46 kts, altimeter 5,800 ft, vertical speed 300 ft/min descent, Kollsman 29.95, tachometer 300 rpm, total time 1,232.5 hours. Control continuity was established for elevators, rudder, and flaps. Aileron continuity was established to the left aileron; the right aileron push/pull rod was separated with overload fracture. The flap indicator showed extended, but the actuator was retracted.
Engine examination revealed thumb compression in proper firing order, drivetrain continuity, normal valve rocker movement, and no evidence of foreign object ingestion or detonation. Magnetos produced spark. Spark plugs were normal. The carburetor was clean and showed no contaminants; no fuel was observed in the bowl. The propeller remained attached; one blade had significant leading-edge damage, chordwise striations, trailing-edge S-bending, and torsional twisting; the opposite blade had leading-edge damage and moderate striations. Signatures indicated rotational energy at impact.
Additional Information
The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge notes that excessive weight reduces flight performance, including higher takeoff speed, longer takeoff run, reduced rate and angle of climb, and higher stalling speed. FAA Pamphlet 8740-2 states that increased density altitude results in increased takeoff distance and reduced rate of climb; above 5,000 ft, leaning the mixture is necessary for maximum takeoff power.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Office of the Medical Investigator determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The pilot had moderate coronary artery disease without angina and three stent placements. Toxicology testing detected no carbon monoxide or ethanol. The following substances were found: desmethylvenlafaxine (metabolite of venlafaxine) in the liver (2.206 µg/mL, µg/g) and blood (0.856 µg/mL, µg/g); venlafaxine in the liver (0.575 µg/mL, µg/g) and blood (0.252 µg/mL, µg/g). Venlafaxine is an antidepressant medication.