NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On April 1, 2010, about 2337 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172D Skyhawk, N2190Y, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain at the Highland County Airport (HOC), Hillsboro, Ohio. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The exact time of departure could not be determined.

About 2230, a witness located about 3 miles east of HOC reported observing the lights from two airplanes. One appeared to be about 3/4 mile north-northeast of her location. Its lights were on, and as she watched, it turned toward the west in the direction of HOC. She estimated the airplane’s altitude at 500 feet above ground level (agl). She noted that nothing appeared unusual with the exception of its altitude, which seemed a little low to her. The second airplane was 5 or 10 miles north of her location and appeared to be headed in the direction of Wilmington or Dayton.

About 2337, a second witness located at the Rocky Fork State Park with his family, about 1/2 mile southeast of HOC, heard the sound of an airplane “throttle up” followed by a crash. He estimated that this occurred within a few seconds; “very quick.” He heard no sounds after the crash. He and his wife got into their car to search the area including the airport, but did not see or hear anything. They eventually returned to their campsite.

At 0100, the accident pilot’s brother contacted local authorities. He informed them that the pilot had not come home from work and that he had located the pilot’s truck in the airport parking lot. A search of the fixed base operator’s facilities revealed that the accident airplane was not in the hangar. In addition, the hangar door was open and the lights were on.

The airplane wreckage was located about 0718 the following morning near the Runway 23 threshold at HOC.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. He was issued a third-class airman medical certificate on October 7, 2008, with a restriction for corrective lenses.

The pilot’s flight time logbook was not available to the NTSB. On his most recent application for a medical certificate, the pilot reported a total flight time of 600 hours, with 50 hours flown within the preceding 6 months.

Records indicated that the pilot owned a 1965 Champion 7GCAA Citabria, N9594S. He purchased that airplane in October 2006. A log kept with that airplane suggested that it had been flown 1.6 hours since January 1, 2010, with the most recent log entry dated February 14, 2010.

A flight instructor based at HOC reported that the accident pilot had successfully passed a flight review with him on November 23, 2008, in the pilot’s Citabria. He began providing flight training to the accident pilot in 2003, and the pilot subsequently earned his private pilot certificate in 2004. Federal Aviation Administration records indicate that the accident pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on April 26, 2004.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a 1963 Cessna 172D, N2190Y, serial number 17249690. It was a 4-place, single-engine airplane, configured with a tricycle landing gear configuration. It was powered by a 145-horsepower Continental O-300D reciprocating engine, serial number 27358-D-2-D, and a 2-bladed, fixed pitch McCauley 1C172 propeller.

Maintenance records indicated that the most recent annual inspection was completed on October 12, 2009, at a total airframe time of 5,475.6 hours. There were no entries in the maintenance logs subsequent to the annual inspection.

The flight instructor based at HOC stated that he had flown the accident airplane earlier that day with a different pilot and there were no issues with the aircraft.

The current owner purchased the accident airplane in April 2004. The accident pilot reportedly rented the airplane from the current owner for flight training and personal flying.

METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

The Airborne Airpark (ILN) Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), located 19 miles north-northwest of HOC, recorded conditions at 0054: Clear skies, wind from 200 degrees at 6 knots, 10 miles visibility, temperature 16 degrees Celsius, dew point 7 degrees Celsius, altimeter 29.94 inches of mercury.

Conditions recorded by the ILN ASOS between 2254 on April 1st and 0254 on April 2nd consisted of clear skies and southerly winds at 7 knots or less.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

The non-towered airport was served by a single runway. Runway 5-23 was 3,520 feet long by 75 feet wide, and composed of asphalt. Medium intensity runway lights and a two-light precision approach path indicator (PAPI) were installed for Runway 23.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane impacted the Runway 23 pavement about 100 feet from the threshold. The impact point was located right of the runway centerline, near the transition to the paved run-up/back taxi turn out area, northwest of the threshold. A depression (crater) in the runway pavement was present at the impact point. In addition, the pavement exhibited impressions consistent with being formed by impact from the wings, propeller, and nose landing gear adjacent to the depression. The pavement impressions were oriented on an approximate bearing of 264 degrees. A fan-shaped debris field, extending to about 75 feet from the initial impact, was also oriented on an approximate 264-degree bearing.

The main wreckage, which included the propeller, engine, instrument panel, cockpit/cabin seats, and fuselage structure, came to rest within approximately 20 feet of the impact point. The propeller has separated from the engine, and the engine had separated from the airframe. The aft fuselage/empennage section had separated from the remainder of the fuselage. It came to rest inverted about 20 feet from the impact point. The wing assembly and center section of the cockpit/cabin roof had separated from the fuselage. The assembly came to rest about 60 feet from the initial impact point.

The fuselage was fragmented. The wings were crushed aft and fragmented. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers were deformed, but otherwise appeared intact. The flight controls remained attached to the airframe. Control continuity was established from the control surfaces to the wing root and aft fuselage separation point, as applicable.

The engine crankcase was fractured consistent with impact forces. The forward-left (#6) cylinder was separated from the engine. The remaining cylinders were deformed, but remained attached to the engine. The propeller, with the propeller flange attached, had separated from the crankshaft. The blades exhibited bending, twisting, and deformation, with leading edge gouges and chordwise scratches.

The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy of the pilot was performed at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office in Dayton, Ohio, on April 3, 2010. The autopsy report noted the cause of death as “multiple blunt force injuries.”

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute forensic toxicology report was positive for ethanol in liver, lung, kidney, and muscle tissues. Blood, urine and vitreous fluid was not available for testing. The report indicated that the samples were received on May 13, 2010; 10 days after the autopsy. The report also noted “Putrefaction: Yes” regarding the condition of the samples.

NTSB Probable Cause

Impact with the runway pavement for unknown reasons.