NTSB Factual Report

On May 31, 1994, at 0820 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N6305J, collided with the water while maneuvering and sank in Lake Roosevelt, Arizona. The aircraft was operated by Venture Aviation, Inc., of Chandler, Arizona, and was rented by the pilot for a local area personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The aircraft was destroyed in the collision sequence. The certificated commercial pilot sustained serious injuries and the passenger incurred fatal injuries. The flight originated from the Chandler, Arizona, airport on the day of the mishap at 0745 hours.

In a verbal statement to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors from the Scottsdale, Arizona, Flight Standards District Office, the pilot reported that he was taking his passenger for a scenic flight over several of the recreational lake areas around Phoenix. The pilot stated that he made a low altitude pass over the U. S. Forest Service lakeside airstrip at Lake Roosevelt with no thought of landing. The pilot noted that he often flies this same scenic route with friends and, after the low pass over the airstrip, he continues over the lake to the dam and proceeds back to the airport.

In his written and oral statements, the pilot reported that he remembered making the low pass over the airstrip lake, but does not remember the accident sequence. Witnesses in boats stated that the aircraft made a low pass over the airstrip, then flew out over the lake surface at an agl altitude estimated at 50 feet. The aircraft flew for about a mile over the water, then was observed to begin a turn. The left wing tip contacted the water and the aircraft cartwheeled into the lake.

The pilot reported that he was able to undo his seatbelt and extricate himself from the aircraft as it sank. The pilot stated that after he unlatched his seatbelt he turned to help his passenger, but she was not there.

One witness to the complete accident sequence was an FAA certified airframe and powerplant mechanic who works on general aviation aircraft. He reported that the engine sounded strong and normal during the accident sequence from the time the aircraft left the airstrip until it crashed into the lake. All of the witnesses stated that the lake surface was glassy smooth.

The airframe wreckage was recovered from the lake and examined. Control system continuity was established to and from the point where the control cables were severed by recovery personnel. The flap actuator was found in the "up" position.

The pilot's seat remained on the seat rails without apparent damage to the legs, feet, or rails. The seatback was deformed in a rearward direction.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner reported that the passenger's cause of death was drowning.

The right front passenger seat was not recovered from the lake. Divers who recovered the passengers body reported that she was in the seat, which was found loose in the rear of the aircraft cabin. The divers reported that the seatbelts had to be cut to extricate the victim. The seat rails for the right front seat were noted to be intact and without deformation.

The engine separated from the airframe during the impact sequence and was not recovered. Extensive efforts over 3 days by divers and surface craft using side scan sonar and metal detectors failed to locate the engine mass.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's selection of an inadequate terrain clearance altitude while maneuvering over a lake. A factor in the accident was the calm glassy water conditions which may have affected the pilot's perception of his actual height above the water.