Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Tuba City Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Tuba City, Arizona 86045
Friday, September 22, 2000 20:43 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot had volunteered the use of his airplane for the Flights For Life, Inc. organization, and was transporting blood to an Indian reservation airport. According to a courier for the hospital, the airplane was to arrive about 2035. The courier arrived about 2025, and about 2030, the pilot-operated runway lights came on. Within 3 to 5 minutes the courier saw an airplane's lights heading toward the airport. The airplane flew from south to north; she estimated about two telephone poles above the airport, continued north, and did not land. The courier estimated that the winds, which were rocking her car, were from the west. After waiting some period of time, she advised the hospital that the airplane did not arrive and she departed. She said the winds were calm at the time of her departure. The airplane was located the next day on the downwind leg in mountainous/hilly terrain. It was a dark night with few ground references.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's inadvertent descent into terrain on the downwind leg for landing. Contributing to the accident was the dark night and sparse population.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/22/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 2043 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | TUBA CITY |
| Event State | ARIZONA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 86045 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | TUBA CITY AIRPORT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | T03 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 25 |
| Airport Elevation | 4513 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2054 Mountain Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 244 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | GCN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 6606 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 38 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 57 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 32 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 200 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 15 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 22 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 11059 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 22 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2400 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 28 2001 7:25AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3103S |
| NTSB Number | LAX00FA346 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 182G |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 182G |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18255063 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2800 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 1 1999 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 129 |
| Airframe Hours | 3840 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CLARENCE E. GENTRY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | PHOENIX |
| Aircraft Owner State | AZ |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 85020 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DVT |
| Departure City | DEER VALLEY |
| Departure State | AZ |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1930 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | T03 |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | AZ |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 4 2001 4:45AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 15 |
| Runway Length | 6230 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |