History of Flight
On April 26, 2023, at about 1425 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177B, registration N123DS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Watkinsville, Georgia. The private pilot and a pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight.
The aircraft departed Leesburg International Airport (LEE), Florida, at approximately 1131 on an IFR flight plan to Barrow County Airport (WDR), Georgia. While approaching WDR, the pilot established communication with Atlanta Approach and was descending to 4,000 ft. The controller provided vectors for the RNAV Runway 31 approach, instructing the pilot to fly heading 040°, then turn right to heading 230°. As the airplane descended, the low altitude alert activated. The controller issued a low altitude alert and instructed the pilot to maintain 3,000 ft; the pilot acknowledged. The controller then instructed the pilot to fly heading 270°, after which no further transmissions were received and radar contact was lost.
ADS-B data showed the airplane entered a right turn consistent with the controller's instructions but continued the turn until contact was lost. The last ADS-B point was about 1,200 ft west of the accident site at approximately 3,000 ft mean sea level. The accident site elevation was about 690 ft.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage was located in an open farm field about 1.2 miles northwest of Watkinsville. The right wing separated in flight at about the mid-length section of the right flap and was found in a wooded area about 988 ft west of the main wreckage, near the last ADS-B data point. The right flap also separated and was found lodged in a tree about 90 ft above ground. Debris between the separated wing and main wreckage included windshield fragments and lightweight material.
Initial ground impact showed a left-wing leading edge imprint, a crater with separated propeller blades, and scars from the landing gear. The wreckage was highly fragmented, dispersed on a magnetic heading of 137°. The engine and lower cockpit section came to rest about 36 ft from the initial impact point, the empennage 22 ft from the engine, and the left wing about 60 ft from the empennage.
Examination of the wreckage revealed that the outboard section of the right wing separated in flight. The lower main spar separated about 51.5 inches outboard from the wing attachment, and the upper spar separated about 78.5 inches outboard; both showed tension overload signatures. The carry-through spar was bowed aft, with a cracked lightening hole and partially separated upper forward flange, also consistent with tension overload.
Aircraft and Engine Examination
Continuity of flight control cables was confirmed for the elevator/stabilator and rudder. Aileron cables were separated at the right-wing separation and cockpit, with tensile overload signatures. The flap actuator extension corresponded to the fully retracted position. The elevator/stabilator trim tab was measured at about 10° trailing edge down.
The engine was separated and found inverted. Valvetrain continuity was confirmed; compression and suction were noted on three cylinders; the fourth had impact damage. The carburetor was impact-separated with inward hydraulic deformation of floats; the float bowl was dry. The propeller separated; one blade was curved forward about 30° with leading edge abrasion, the other twisted. No preaccident mechanical malfunction or anomaly was found that would have caused the in-flight wing separation or affected engine and propeller operation.
Personnel and Meteorological Information
The pilot's total flight time was derived from an FAA medical certificate application dated August 22, 2021. A hand-written log found with the wreckage showed the pilot recorded about 52.4 hours in the accident airplane since that date.
Weather at Athens Ben Epps Airport (AHN) at 1451 included broken clouds at 1,300 ft and overcast at 2,200 ft, wind from 050° at 11 knots. At the destination airport (WDR), conditions at 1435 included instrument meteorological conditions with a 600-ft overcast ceiling and wind from 070° at 4 knots. The accident site was in a cool airmass with northeasterly winds, broken to overcast clouds, and temperatures in the mid-50s to low 60s °F; light rain was reported at several stations.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy determined the pilot's cause of death as extensive blunt impact injuries. Toxicology testing detected several substances, including gabapentin and ethanol (0.012 g/hg in liver tissue, not in muscle). Gabapentin, which can cause impairing side effects, was also found in the passenger. The detected substances were not typically impairing except for ethanol and gabapentin; however, the source does not establish a causal link to the accident.