Crash of a Cessna 207A Turbo Stationair 8 into Lake Powell: 2 killed
Date & Time:
Aug 13, 2022 at 1619 LT
Operator:
Registration:
N9582M
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Page - Page
MSN:
207-0705
YOM:
1981
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total hours on type:
35.00
Aircraft flight hours:
17307
Circumstances:
On August 13, 2022, about 1619 mountain standard time, a Cessna T207A airplane, N9582M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Page, Arizona. The pilot received minor injuries, two passengers were fatally injured, two passengers were seriously injured, and one passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air tour flight. According to witnesses, the accident airplane was the first airplane in a flight of 5 airplanes on a scenic tour of the Lake Powell area at a cruise altitude of about 1,000 ft to 2,000 ft above ground level. After nearly 30 minutes of flight and after making a turn back towards the airport, the accident pilot made a distress call and reported his engine lost power and he was ditching the airplane in Lake Powell. The airplane became submerged in the water and the two passengers who were fatally injured did not exit the airplane. National Park Service boats, several nearby private boats, and a few helicopters responded to the accident site, which was located about 13 miles northeast of the Page Municipal Airport, (PGA), Page, Arizona. The boats assisted the survivors in the water. Once aboard a boat that recovered the survivors, witnesses overheard the pilot on the phone discussing that he had experienced an engine failure. An underwater remote observation vehicle surveyed the accident site a couple of days after the accident. All major components of the airplane were observed, and the airplane came to rest upright at the lake bottom about 100 ft below the surface.
Probable cause:
The total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during low altitude cruise flight, which resulted in a water ditching. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the pilot’s failure to extend the flaps during the ditching, which increased the impact forces to the occupants.
Final Report:
