History of Flight
On May 13, 2018, at approximately 1230 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182G, registration N2377R, was destroyed after colliding with mountainous terrain near Cascade, Idaho. The private pilot, who owned and operated the airplane under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI) at about 1208 and was destined for McCall Municipal Airport (MYL).
According to air traffic control (ATC) recordings, the pilot contacted BOI clearance delivery at about 1202 to request a visual flight rules departure to MYL. The controller issued a departure frequency and transponder code. The pilot acknowledged but reported the transponder was not operational, stating it might be "a little cold" and that he would input the code when it activated. After departure, the local controller approved a left turn on course to McCall. About one minute later, the pilot informed the departure controller that the transponder was still not functioning. Shortly afterward, the local controller alerted the departure controller to the airplane's location.
At about 1210, the departure controller confirmed radar contact, which the pilot acknowledged—his final transmission. At about 1211, the departing controller gave a position relief briefing to the oncoming controller, covering traffic, weather, and other information but omitting the accident airplane.
FAA radar data showed the airplane departed uneventfully and tracked north. Radar contact was lost about 20 nautical miles north of BOI. At about 1229:00, a target appeared about 1 nm southwest of the accident site, turned east, and the final return was recorded at 1229:47 about 0.5 nm northwest of the site. About six hours later, BOI ATC received calls about the flight's status; the clearance delivery controller contacted Salt Lake Air Route Traffic Control Center, and an alert notice was issued at 1912. Wreckage was found the next day.
The pilot's planned route followed a highway northward, with terrain elevations between 4,500 and 5,000 ft mean sea level (msl), mountains to the west at 5,500 ft and to the east at 6,500 ft. The highway ran through a valley surrounded by ridgelines. A GPS device from the accident site yielded no useful data.
Personnel Information
The 34-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate for single-engine land airplanes. His most recent second-class medical certificate was issued on January 26, 2015, with no limitations. His logbook, current as of March 11, 2018, showed 276 total flight hours, all in the accident airplane make and model, including about 4 hours in the preceding 90 days. His most recent flight review was completed on September 3, 2017. He did not hold an instrument rating and had about 7 total simulated instrument flight hours.
Friends reported that the pilot lived in Boise but had recently purchased a hangar at MYL and was planning to move to McCall. One friend stated he was moving final items, including the airplane, to the hangar when the accident occurred.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1964 and registered to the pilot on September 17, 2013. It was powered by a Continental O-470-R direct-drive, air-cooled, 230-horsepower engine. The most recent annual inspection of airframe and engine was completed on November 17, 2017, at a tachometer time of 4,878 flight hours, 16 hours before the accident. At that inspection, the engine had 6,335 total flight hours and 1,423 hours since major overhaul. Additional records were not available.
Meteorological Information
A pilot who departed MYL for BOI at about 1010 reported following a river adjacent to the north/south highway connecting McCall and Boise. About 35 nm north of BOI, near the accident site, he encountered ground fog that forced him to descend below 700 ft above ground level (agl), the approximate cloud layer height. Low visibility prompted him to turn back and land in Cascade at about 1050. The area where he reversed course had terrain elevation about 4,500 ft msl.
Satellite imagery showed low- to mid-level broken-to-overcast clouds over the route and accident site. Sounding data indicated overcast clouds from 1,100 ft agl with tops to 18,500 ft.
Weather observations: At BOI at 1153, wind from 320° at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, broken clouds at 7,000 and 10,000 ft agl, temperature 14°C, dew point 7°C, altimeter 30.02 inHg. At MYL at 1151, wind from 300° at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 2,100 ft, broken at 6,000 ft, overcast at 9,000 ft, temperature 11°C, dew point 5°C, altimeter 30.01 inHg.
Two AIRMET advisories were valid for the accident site: AIRMET Sierra (issued at 0845 and 1145) forecast mountain obscuration due to clouds, precipitation, and mist; AIRMET Zulu (issued at 0845) forecast moderate icing between 9,000 ft and FL200.
No evidence indicated the pilot received an official weather briefing. A friend who was with him before departure stated the pilot had been monitoring weather via traffic cameras and internet applications. The friend reported the pilot said ceilings at MYL were about 700 ft and rising, and highway cameras showed marginal conditions. When the pilot left his friend's house at about 0930, he said he would continue checking weather but likely wait until early to mid-afternoon to depart if conditions improved.
Airport Information
Not applicable (repeated in original, but the source duplicates aircraft info under this heading; we omit redundancy).
Wreckage and Impact Information
The debris path lay in a wooded area about 41 nm north of BOI, oriented on a 195° magnetic heading. All major structures were accounted for. The initial impact point (IIP) was identified by two scars halfway up a 70-ft tree at terrain elevation about 5,800 ft msl. The nose landing gear was at the tree base; wing fragments were distributed along the path. A large ground scar was about 50 ft forward of the IIP. The main wreckage (empennage, right wing, main cabin, engine) was about 110 ft forward. The empennage was vertical, resting against the right wing under a portion of the cabin and instrument panel. The left wing was found in the debris path.
Control cables (rudder, aileron, elevator) were traced from cockpit to surfaces through separations. Left and right wings were breached; a fuel smell was detected. The wing flap jackscrew was in the neutral position (flaps retracted). Elevator trim cables were traced; the right elevator actuator rod measured about 1.5 inches, consistent with a 10° trim tab up deflection.
The fuel selector valve remained attached to the main cabin, positioned in the BOTH detent; no obstructions were observed when rotated to each port. The gascolator fuel screen showed no contaminants; no fuel was present in the gascolator bowl.
Engine continuity was established; the crankshaft rotated manually at the propeller flange. Thumb compression and suction were obtained on all six cylinders. Combustion chambers were undamaged; no evidence of foreign object ingestion or detonation.
Ignition system functional test: Some ignition harness leads did not spark. During rotation, top left spark plugs and a bottom cylinder (No. 5) sparked when the left magneto impulse coupling snapped; a subsequent rotation produced sparks from top right plugs from the right magneto. Spark plugs showed normal wear.
The carburetor was partially separated from the engine, attached to the wye plenum. Throttle and mixture linkages were attached but damaged; manual movement correlated with shaft movement. Carburetor floats appeared normal with no residual fuel.
Both propeller blades remained attached to the hub; the assembly separated from the crankshaft at the flange. Mounting bolts were stripped from the hub. Blades showed twisting toward low pitch and chordwise paint erosion.
Additional Information
The accident airplane was equipped with a transponder and assigned a beacon code. After departure, the local controller instructed the pilot to contact departure control. A developmental departure controller (trainee with an instructor) was working. The pilot reported a transponder problem, but radar contact was established and services provided. The controller did not generate a flight progress strip or use a memory aid; BOI Order 7110.57 stated flight progress strips were optional for VFR departures.
The airplane operated in class C airspace, which typically requires a functional transponder. No facility directive or letter of agreement allowed an exception; nonetheless, the controller provided class C services to a VFR airplane without a working transponder. The airplane continued north into BOI class C outer areas and then left the airspace.
At 1211:16, the developmental controller and instructor were relieved by another controller. The relief briefing did not include the accident airplane. BOI standard operating procedures required identifying a primary target (such as this airplane) in relief briefings. When clearance delivery contacted Salt Lake Center at 1830:31 to report the airplane's non-arrival, the controller stated the automated system had not captured the flight because it was a primary target.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Valley County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy, listing cause of death as "traumatic blunt force injuries." No drugs of abuse or prescription drugs were identified, but a low level of ethanol was found in chest cavity blood. FAA toxicology testing identified ethanol in urine, blood, lung, and muscle specimens. The ethanol was from postmortem production as no ethanol was found in the liver.