Accident Details
On May 28, 2019, about 0550 central daylight time, a Cessna R172K airplane, registration N2583V, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Mertzon, Texas. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The flight departed Gaines County Airport (GNC), Seminole, Texas, about 0453, with a destination of Sealy, Texas. According to the pilot's family, he was transporting irrigation pipe to a job site. He had not previously flown this route. He attempted the flight the night before but turned back due to darkness, and planned to complete it early the next morning.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate dated May 10, 2016, which expired on May 31, 2018. On that application, he reported 780 total flight hours. A recovered logbook contained entries from March 1993 to August 2015; recent flight experience could not be determined. Family members stated the pilot did not fly consistently, and it had been months since his last flight (excluding the aborted attempt the prior night).
Aircraft Information
The airplane's maintenance records were not located. The pilot's family reported no awareness of recent maintenance.
Meteorological Conditions
At the time of the accident, the moon was about 28° above the horizon and about 32% illuminated. Sunrise on May 29, the day after the accident, was at 0641. The accident site was remote with no ground lighting (streetlights or other cultural lighting).
Wreckage Examination
The airplane came to rest on hilly, rocky terrain at an elevation of 2,330 ft mean sea level on a magnetic heading of about 070°. The impact was near-vertical, nose-down. The main wreckage included one propeller blade, engine, wings, fuselage, and tail; a second propeller blade was found about 25 ft southeast. All structural components were accounted for. Flight control continuity was established for rudder, elevator, and elevator trim to the forward cabin floor. Aileron continuity was established to the aft door post where cables were cut by first responders; aileron chains remained engaged on the control wheel. The flap actuator was in the retracted (flaps up) position.
Internal engine continuity was observed through the bottom of the crankcase. No signs of crankshaft, camshaft, or connecting rod failure were noted. Magneto and ignition harness were impact damaged; neither magneto produced spark when rotated, but disassembly revealed no preimpact anomalies. Examination found no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
An autopsy determined the cause of death as visceral injuries due to blunt impact trauma from the airplane crash, manner accidental. FAA toxicology testing of pilot specimens detected ethanol in muscle (0.032 gm/hg) and brain (0.010 gm/hg) tissues, but samples exhibited putrefaction. Testing by the medical examiner also found ethanol in spleen tissue (0.085 gm/hg). No other drugs were detected. Ethanol can be produced postmortem by microbial activity.