The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this
accident
as follows: The pilot's loss of
airplane control while maneuvering during low-level flight for reasons
that could not be determined because examination of the airframe and
engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies.
NTSB Identification: CEN16FA059
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 6, 2015, about 1630 central standard time, a Cessna 182C single-engine airplane, N8777T, impacted terrain near Pattonsburg, Missouri. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The airplane departed the Northwest Missouri Regional Airport (EVU), Maryville, Missouri, about 1550, and was destined for the Bethany Memorial Airport (75K), Bethany, Missouri.
According to local authorities, family members and witnesses, the pilot was planning a flight from EVU to 75K after picking up his airplane from a maintenance facility that completed annual inspection on the airplane. There were no recorded communications between the pilot and air traffic control services.
A review of radar data showed a radar target consistent with the accident airplane was first observed by the Oskaloosa Air Route Surveillance Radar sensor, Oskaloosa, Kansas, at 1603:06, about 20 miles east of EVU. Radar data showed the airplane traveled toward the southeast and the final radar data point was about 11 miles west of the accident location at 1611:55. No mode C altitudes associated with the accident airplane were reported.
Several witnesses near the accident site reported hearing or observing the airplane flying in a low altitude and maneuvering to the north, east, and south directions. Witnesses described the airplane as flying about tree top level. Some witnesses reported they heard an airplane, a possible crashing noise, and then no airplane or engine sound.
About 1922, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) for the airplane due to concerned family members. The airplane was located about 0900 on December 8th by local search and rescue personnel.
Family members and friends stated the pilot would routinely fly near the Pattonsburg area to view a nearby lake and the river system. In addition, the pilot would on occasion overfly a friend's residence. From the Pattonsburg area, the pilot would fly along highway 69 to the north toward Bethany airport as a regular flight path.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The 54 year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. The pilot was issued a third class medical certification on September 9, 2015, with no limitations. According to the pilot's most recent airman medical application, he had accumulated 304 total flight hours and 3 hours in the last 6 months. The pilot's logbook was not located during the investigation.
According to family representatives, the pilot was in excellent health and had no known medical conditions.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The accident airplane was a 1960 Cessna 182C, serial number 52677. The airplane was powered by a Continental O-470-L reciprocating engine and a two-bladed McCauley controllable pitch propeller. The airplane was issued a standard airworthiness certificate on March 31, 1960. The airplane was registered to the owners on November 13, 2012.
According the airplane's logbooks, the most recent annual inspection was completed on November 27, 2015, at a total airframe and tachometer time of 4,547.3 hours. At the time of the annual inspection, the engine had accumulated 1,172.3 hours since major overhaul. Since an annual inspection on June 2, 2012, to the most recent annual inspection, the airplane had accumulated 116.3 hours, per the tachometer.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The pilot did not receive an official weather briefing from Lockheed Martin Flight Service or any other official source.
At 1555, the Schenck Field Airport (ICL), Clarinda, Iowa, automated weather observing system (AWOS), located approximately 22 miles north of EVU, reported the wind from 050 degrees at 3 knots, 10 miles visibility, sky clear, temperature 5 degrees Celsius, dew point 3 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.31 inches of mercury.
At 1629, the Lamoni Municipal Airport (LWD), Lamoni, Iowa, automated surface observing system (ASOS), located approximately 35 miles north of the accident site and 22 miles north of 75K, reported the wind from 310 degrees at 11 knots, 3 miles visibility, mist, sky overcast at 300 feet, temperature 3 degrees Celsius, dew point 3 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.28 inches of mercury.
At 1637, the LWD ASOS reported the wind from 300 degrees at 10 knots, 2 1/2 miles visibility, mist, sky overcast at 300 feet, temperature 3 degrees Celsius, dew point 3 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.28 inches of mercury.
A review of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system data for 1615 showed a low-topped stratus cloud deck that extended over the accident site. The cloud tops were estimated to be about 7,500 mean sea level (msl); however, it is unknown if the deck layered to the surface.
An Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) was issued and valid for instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions near the accident site location.
About 0800, the Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center Central Weather Service Unit issued an advisory for IFR and occasional low IFR conditions over Iowa with conditions expected to spread southward.
A family member, who dropped off the pilot at EVU and returned to the Bethany area, reported the weather conditions were good about the time the pilot was scheduled to land at 75K.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane impacted in wooded terrain along a measured magnetic heading of 360 degrees at an elevation of 877 feet msl. Airplane damage and tree strike signatures were consistent with a nose low, near vertical impact. All major components of the airplane were located at the accident site.
The left wing, right wing, fuselage, and empennage were crushed forward and fragmented. All flight control surfaces remained attached to their respective attach points. Control cable continuity was established and confirmed. Flap position was not determined due to impact damage. The elevator trim actuator extension was measured and correlated to a slight nose down trim condition. The fuel selector was found in the right tank position. Both fuel tanks were ruptured and no residual fuel was noted at the accident site. Both fuel caps were found secured.
The forward fuselage and cockpit were fragmented and bent. The pilot's seat belt was found secured, and the seatbelt ends were cut by rescue personnel. The instrument panel was destroyed. The cockpit engine throttle and propeller positions were not determined, and the mixture control was full forward. The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was destroyed.
The engine remained partially attached to the fuselage and came to rest in the initial impact crater. The engine crankcase displayed impact damage, and a large section of the crankcase had separated exposing the internal components of the engine. The crankshaft was fractured between the number 5 and 6 connecting rod journals, and displayed fracture features consistent with an overload failure. The engine cylinders remained partially attached to the crankcase and displayed impact damage.
The carburetor remained attached to the mounting pad, and the mounting pad was separated from the induction system. The throttle valve was found in the full open/throttle position. Both magnetos were separated from their respective mounts. The vacuum pump displayed impact damage and was disassembled. The vacuum pump displayed normal operating and lubrication signatures, and the vanes remained intact.
The propeller was separated from the crankshaft and the hub was destroyed. One propeller blade displayed leading edge gouging, chordwise scratches, and polishing. One propeller blade displayed a leading edge gouge and chordwise scratches. One propeller blade tip fractured in two sections, and displayed curling deformation. One curled section contained debris consistent with tree or wood material.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Frontier Forensics Midwest Morgue of Kansas City, Kansas, on December 9, 2015. The pilot's death was attributed to blunt force injuries sustained as a result of the accident.
The Bioaeronautical Research Laboratory at the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute completed a Final Forensic Toxicology Fatal Accident Report which was negative for ethanol and tested drugs.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
Due to the damage to the airplane's instruments, avionics equipment, and engine components, no functional testing of the equipment was able to be conducted.
========
A Daviess
County Sheriff's Department deputy confirmed Tuesday that the pilot of a
small plane that crashed in Northwest Missouri was dead.
The plane was believed to be piloted by Ridgeway, Missouri resident Kenny Stoner, 54. Stoner took off Sunday from Northwest Missouri Regional Airport in Maryville at about 4 p.m. and had filed a flight plan to fly to nearby Bethany in Harrison County. He never arrived.
Authorities located and secured the wreckage scene Tuesday morning. The plane was found north of Pattonsburg at about 9:30 a.m. Officials described the crash site area as rugged and hard to reach. They said the wreckage was all in the same location, indicating that the plane had not broken up during flight.
"It was found in the northern part of the county," said Jim Boothe, emergency management director of Gentry County. "Crews are on the scene."
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the crash site at about 1 p.m. Later, Federal Aviation Administration officials arrived and took control of the investigation.
The search for the missing Cessna 180 resumed Tuesday at around 8 a.m. Law enforcement and emergency management officials from throughout the area participated in the search.
Authorities map out a
region to search in the rescue attempt of a missing Ridgeway, Missouri
pilot at a staging area in Pattonsburg, Missouri Monday. The missing
pilot failed to land in Bethany Sunday and prompted an expansive search
throughout Northwest Missouri.
GENTRY COUNTY, Mo.
Authorities have found the wreckage of a small plane that was reported missing Sunday.
There is no word on the pilot, Kenny Stoner.
"We have found the plane wreckage. It is in Daviess County, north of Pattonsburg in a very rugged and rural area," said Gentry County Emergency Management Director Jim Boothe. "We do not have much more information other than we confirmed it is the plane. We currently have crews going to the site right now to continue the rescue hopefully."
Authorities discovered the wreckage near Cord Avenue and 151st Street just outside Pattonsburg around 9:30 a.m.
Crews have been searching for the Cessna 180 since it disappeared Sunday afternoon after taking off from the Maryville Regional Airport.
Family members notified authorities the plane was missing when it never made it to Bethany, about 60 miles away.
The Federal Aviation Administration is headed to the crash site.
http://www.stjoechannel.com
A vast search for a missing pilot and his plane expanded throughout parts of rural Northwest Missouri Monday.
A search for missing pilot Kenny Stoner, of Ridgeway, Missouri, began Sunday evening after his his plane took off from the Northwest Missouri Regional Airport outside of Maryville, Missouri around 4 p.m. Traveling in a Cessna 180, Stoner never made his scheduled arrival at the Bethany, Missouri airport early Sunday evening.
"All we know is that he was headed to Bethany, Missouri, but when he left he was low on fuel," said Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White. "He was scheduled to land in Bethany, but he did not land as scheduled."
Northwest Missouri airport officials said they did not believe fuel was an issue as Stoner did check the fuel gauges before departure. Officials said there was an issue with the credit card machine, but Stoner did not mention a need to refuel.
With no word from the pilot or no sightings by regional residents, search efforts were expanded Monday afternoon. Law enforcement from Daviess, Nodaway and Gentry counties conducted a rescue mission to find the pilot and the plane.
"Until we find some information to lead differently, this is still a rescue at this point," said Capt. Jacob Denum with the NTA EMS in Bethany and leader of the rescue team, as he manned a mobile staging area in Pattonsburg, Missouri Monday afternoon.
Denum said authorities collected information based off a cell phone ping late Sunday and began the search in the Pattonsburg area. As morning and heavy fog encompassed the region Monday, authorities waited to start the continued search into late morning.
"We have never had to do a search of this magnitude in our area before," Denum said. "We've done several smaller area searches, covering a part of a county before, but nothing that has gone over to multiple counties like this one before."
Troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and civilian pilots also took to the air in hopes of spotting the plane. As the evening progressed, the search was called off by several emergency responders until first light Tuesday morning.
Authorities planned to set up a command post early Tuesday morning in Albany, Missouri and continue the search.
"We will continue to search until we find him and we will continue to search until the airplane is found," Denum said.
Source: http://www.newspressnow.com
GENTRY COUNTY, Mo.
The search continues for a Ridgeway man aboard a small plane that disappeared Sunday afternoon after taking off from the Maryville Regional Airport.
Between 50 and 100 volunteers from multiple fire departments and several aircraft have been seaching since last night to find the Cessna 180 plane.
"We are currently concentrating in the southern part of Gentry County and we're moving north along a possible path that the aircraft may have been traveling," said Gentry County Emergency Management Director Jim Boothe.
Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White said the plane was low on fuel when it took off from the airport.
Family members notified authorities the plane was missing when the man never made it to Bethany, about 60 miles away.
Fog made it difficult for crews to search through the night. A command center was set up early Monday morning in Darlington.
Authorities said they don't know yet if the fog played a role in the plane's disappearance.
"He may have been disorientated in the fog. We're searching a fairly large area in the county. It's rough area and it is slow going and it's muddy right now and that's slowed the effort a little bit," said Boothe. "Until we find something, we're going to stay on the job."
The man's name has not been released.
Source: http://www.stjoechannel.com
Authorities in Nodaway County are searching for a plane that went missing after taking off from Maryville, Missouri Sunday afternoon.
Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White said the plane, a Cessna 180, attempted to re-fuel at the Northwest Missouri Regional Airport in Maryville.
Due to a reported difficulty at the regional airport, the pilot was unable to re-fuel.
"All we know is that he was headed to Bethany, Missouri, but when he left he was low on fuel," White said. "He was scheduled to land in Bethany, but he did not land as scheduled."
However, airport officials said they didn't think lack of fuel was a factor if the plane did go down.
White said the pilot, the sole occupant of the plane, is a Ridgeway, Missouri resident.
Authorities began the search for the plane Sunday night, but the plane and pilot remained missing Monday morning.
"We searched all night," White said.
Because of thick fog, search operations were placed at a "standstill" early Monday.
Planes were able to take off to resume the search prior to noon as authorities established a command post in nearby Gentry County.
Source: http://www.maryvilledailyforum.com
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Officials are searching for a missing plane in Maryville, Mo.
Darren White with the Nodaway County, Mo Sheriff Department told FOX 4 that the plane took off Sunday night and was headed for Bethany, Mo.
Sheriff White says he got called at about 8 p.m. on Sunday that reported the pilot never checked in.
Authorities began searching for the plane, but due to the darkness and heavy fog, they discontinued the search around midnight.
Sheriff White says they have been searching for the plane in a large area between Bethany and Maryville.
The pilot was the only person on board the Cessna 180.
The sheriff told FOX 4 that he didn’t know the pilot’s name, but that the pilot lives in Ridgeway, Mo.
The search is expected to resume as soon as the fog lifts.