Monday, December 27, 2021

Cessna 172E Skyhawk, N5798T: Fatal accident occurred December 26, 2021 near Sharp County Regional Airport (KCVK), Arkansas

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. 

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident. 

Additional Participating Entities: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Little Rock, Arkansas
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas


Location: Hardy, Arkansas
Accident Number: CEN22FA082
Date and Time: December 26, 2021, 17:29 Local
Registration: N5798T
Aircraft: Cessna 172E
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On December 26, 2021, about 1729 central standard time, a Cessna 172E airplane, N5798T, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hardy, Arkansas. The private pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

A preliminary review of track data indicated that the airplane had already been airborne before it was visible on radar. The airplane first appeared about 13 nm north of the Walnut Ridge Regional Airport (ARG), Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, at 1627, at an altitude of about 2,500 ft. The airplane flew generally south toward ARG until track data was lost at about 1643, 3.5 nm north of ARG.

At 1653, about 3 nm north of ARG, the airplane reappeared in track data, climbing out of about 2,800 ft. The airplane flew left and right several times in a back and forth “s-type" movement and then straightened out, flew west-north-west, and climbed to an altitude of about 4,500 ft, then descended lower in the latter part of the flight.

At 1722, the airplane crossed over the Sharp County Regional Airport (CVK), Ash Flat, Arkansas, from east to west at an altitude of about 4,000 ft. When the airplane was almost 2.5 nm west-north-west of CVK, the airplane turned right, descended slowly, and flew a track consistent with an attempt to make an approach to CVK, then the airplane entered a tight left turn and traveled to the north. During this time there were abrupt changes in ground speed, altitude, and the direction of flight. The airplane executed at least one sharp counterclockwise loop and flew generally north-north-east bound until track data was lost about 1728.

The Fulton County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Office was provided copies of text messages the pilot sent to a family member while in flight. One text message stated, “ran into weather can’t see anything” and another text message later stated, “out of gas in air.”

The wreckage, which was located on heavily wooded private property, was destroyed by the impact sequence. The accident site is in the Ozark Mountains. The wreckage was recovered from the accident site for a future examination. 

A witness, who lives about 1 mile north of the accident site, reported that he observed “heavy fog” in the area at the time and he estimated the visibility to be about 500 ft. Astronomical conditions indicated the accident occurred right after the conclusion of civil twilight, which occurred at 1726. Sunset occurred at 1657.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the pilot did not hold an instrument rating.


Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N5798T
Model/Series: 172E 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: IMC
Condition of Light: Night
Observation Facility, Elevation: KARG,273 ft msl
Observation Time: 16:56 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 33 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 14°C /0°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 6 knots / , 120°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 200 ft AGL 
Visibility: 0.5 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.87 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: 
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 36.346112,-91.542252

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.

Christine Price
1969 - 2021
~

WALNUT RIDGE - Christine Ann Bailey Price, 52, of Walnut Ridge passed from this life Sunday, December 26, 2021, along with her boyfriend, Brad Dunham, due to injuries sustained from an airplane accident.

She was born August 7, 1969, in Cahokia, Illinois, to Harold Lloyd and Mary Parsons Bailey.

Christine was a dedicated nurse, working in home health and for several doctors for over 20 years.

She was of the Christian belief.

Christine was preceded in death by her mom, Donna Bailey, her grandparents and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

She is survived by her father, Harold Bailey of Hoxie; mother, Mary Taylor of Bradley; one son, Randall Parker of Hoxie; siblings, Sharon Beardsley (David) and James Bailey (Jennifer), both of Jonesboro, Rachael Jones (Terry) of Piggott, John Bailey (Tracy) and Latisha Bailey, both of Hoxie; and several special nieces and nephews.

A celebration memorial of Christine's life will be held from 3 until 5 p.m. today, December 30, in Cox Funeral Home Chapel at Walnut Ridge.



Spring River Chronicle

Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were on the scene this morning of the single engine plane crash that occurred on December 26 near the Nine Mile Ridge Fire Department. 

The names of the couple who were killed in the crash were released earlier today. 57 year-old Bradley Dunham of Bono was the pilot and his girlfriend, Christine Ann Price, 52, of Walnut Ridge was the other victim of the crash. 

Fulton and Sharp County Sheriff’s Department, Sharp County Search and Rescue and numerous are residents began searching for what they believed to be a downed aircraft in the area of Fulton and Sharp County line near Nine Mile Ridge and Slick Rock Road around 6 p.m. December 26.  A heavy fog developed just before nightfall and the search was called off until morning. 

Hardy Mayor Ernie Rose located the plane’s remains near the Nine Mile Ridge Fire Department the next morning around 9 a.m. This news agency has a story of these events in tomorrow’s paper, as we went to press  around 11 a.m. on Monday before more details were revealed. 

Since, we have obtained flight information recordings and will follow up next week (January 4) with a second article about what we have learned about the flight path, issues and other things that happened just before the tragic flight went down. 

Prayers go out to the families of Price and Dunham.



FULTON COUNTY, Arkansas - The Fulton County Sheriff has identified two people killed in a plane crash Sunday night in Fulton County near the Sharp County line.

According to Sheriff Al Roork, Bradley Dunham, 57, from Bono was piloting the plane when it crashed. Dunham, and a passenger, Christine Ann Price, 52, of Walnut Ridge were both killed in the crash.

The wreckage was found Monday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were called in to investigate the crash. Officials are expected to arrive at the site on Tuesday.

Crews from Fulton and Sharp Counties were called in around 5:30 Sunday night after witnesses reported hearing and seeing a plane go down. Dense fog and nightfall made finding the plane difficult.

A cause of the crash is unknown, but Sharp County Sheriff Mark Counts said there was heavy fog throughout the area.




  

In the waning minutes of the flight of a doomed small plane over Fulton County last month, the pilot texted family members that he ran into weather and was unable to see and, finally before crashing, was "out of gas in air," according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Pilot Bradley Dunham of Bono and passenger Christine Price of Walnut Ridge, the only two occupants of the single-engine Cessna 172, died when the plane crashed Dec. 26 in a remote area of the county northwest of Hardy.

Dunham also was the owner of the aircraft, a Cessna 172E, manufactured in 1964, according to the Federal Aviation Administration online database of aircraft registrations.

The aircraft appeared to be trying to land at Sharp County Regional Airport in Cherokee Village, which straddles the border of Sharp and Fulton counties, but the weather wasn't cooperating, with a witness on the ground saying the area was covered in a heavy fog that limited visibility to an estimated 500 feet.

Dunham was only qualified, according to the FAA, to fly under visual flight rules in which the pilot can fly in good weather with good visibility, which appeared not to be the case on the afternoon of Dec. 26.

Additional training allows pilots to obtain an instrument rating, which allows them to fly using only their flight instruments and not rely on visual cues outside the cockpit.

The crash also occurred right after the "conclusion of civil twilight," or 30 minutes after sunset, which requires stricter limits under which pilots can fly under visual flight rules.

Preliminary review of radar tracking data found that the aircraft first showed up on radar shortly before 4:30 p.m. about 13 miles north of the Walnut Ridge Regional Airport at an altitude of 2,500 feet. The track showed that the aircraft generally flew south toward the airport but briefly disappeared from radar at 4:43 p.m. and 3.5 miles north of the Walnut Ridge airport.

Ten minutes later, the Cessna reappeared on the track data, which showed it climbing out of about 2,800 feet. "The airplane flew left and right several times in a back and forth 's-type' movement and then straightened out, flew west-north-west, and climbed to an altitude of about 4,500 ft, then descended lower in the latter part of the flight," according to the report.

At 5:22 p.m., the aircraft crossed over Sharp County Regional Airport, which is referred to by airport code as KCVK or CVK, from east to west at an altitude of 4,000 feet.

"When the airplane was almost 2.5 nm west-north-west of CVK, the airplane turned right, descended slowly, and flew a track consistent with an attempt to make an approach to CVK, then the airplane entered a tight left turn and traveled to the north," the report said. "The airplane executed at least one sharp counterclockwise loop and flew generally north-north-east bound until track data was lost about [5:28 p.m.]."

The Fulton County sheriff's office provided the National Transportation Safety Board with "copies of text messages the pilot sent to a family member while in flight," the report said. "One text message stated, "ran into weather can't see anything" and another text message later stated, "out of gas in air."

The crash site was 33 miles from the Sharp County airport, where a weather observation taken at shortly before 5 p.m. said the lowest ceiling was overcast and just 200 feet above ground, according to the report. Visibility was a half mile.

It will take up to a year before the NTSB releases a final report on the crash.