Cessna Safety Record

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO DE-ICE THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, AND HIS DECISION TO MAKE THE TAKEOFF AT A WEIGHT THAT EXCEEDED BOTH THE MAXIMUM STRUCTURAL TAKEOFF WEIGHT AND THE REDUCED TAKEOFF WEIGHT ALLOWED FOR ICING CONDITIONS RESULTING IN AN INADEVERTENT STALL.

LOSS OF CONTROL INFLIGHT AFTER THE AIRPLANE STALLED DURING CLIMBOUT. THE STALL RESULTED FROM A LOSS OF LIFT DUE TO A CONTAMINATED WING SURFACE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO DE-ICE THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.

THE PILOT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS RESULTING IN A WINDSHEAR ENCOUNTER WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE FOR RECOVERY. THE EXISTING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE FACTORS.

THE PILOT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND THE LIKELY EFFECT OF HYPOXIA ON THE PILOT.

CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE ABOVE THE GROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, SELF INDUCED PRESSURE, AND SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.

IN FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL BY THE PILOT WHILE FLYING IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE PILOT'S APPREHENSION TOWARD INSTRUMENT FLYING AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED AT THE TIME.

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY PRE-FLIGHT PLAN AND EXECUTE THE VFR FLIGHT. FACTOR'S RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S INEXPERIENCE; NO VISUAL CUES (LIGHTS) DUE TO DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS; THE PILOT'S DISREGARD OF THE WEATHER BRIEFING.

THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURE WHICH RESULTED IN DESCENT BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE. CONTRIBUTINGFACTOR(S) WAS: THE FOG AND LOW CEILING.

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT SPEED FOR FLIGHT. A FACTOR ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S OPERATION OF THE AIRPLANE ABOVE THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT.

CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM WOODED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE WEATHER/TERRAIN CONDITIONS.

CONTINUED FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS BY A NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT RESULTING IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY TO FLY IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE DARK NIGHT, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF NIGHT FLYING EXPERIENCE.

THE SEPARATION OF THE PROPELLER SYSTEM FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. CONTRIBUTING TO THE SEVERITY OF THE INJURIES WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ASSURE THAT A RAFT AND/OR LIFEVESTS WERE ON THE AIRPLANE DURING THE OVERWATER PORTION OF THE FLIGHT.

THE PILOT'S INITIATION OF THE FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS WHICH RESULTED IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE OVER THE WATER. FACTORS WERE: DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT PREVAILED.

VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC AND SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE PILOT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND THE OVERCONFIDENCE AND LACK OF EXPERIENCE OF THE PILOT.

THE CESSNA PILOT MISJUDGE HIS ALTITUDE ABOVE THE WATER. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT ALLOWING HIS ATTENTION TO BE DIVERTED AND HIS LACK OF VISUAL/DEPTH PERCEPTION OVER THE CALM (GLASSY) WATER.

THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS IN THE ACIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.