Cessna 172S accident near Kahului, Hawaii, December 2, 2012
On December 2, 2012 at about 5:00 am local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N3554Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Kahului, Hawaii (Kahului Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s spatial disorientation and subsequent failure to maintain airplane control while operating over water in dark night conditions with reduced visibility due to rain in the area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 2012 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Kahului, Hawaii · Kahului Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N3554Y · no longer on the register · serial 172S8956
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated pilot was conducting a personal interisland flight. According to air traffic control information, shortly after the airplane took off, an air traffic controller observed that the airplane's radar track was not heading toward the pilot's intended destination. He asked the pilot if he still intended to land at his original destination, and the pilot replied that he did. The pilot then reported that he was going to perform a 360-degree turn to track toward his intended destination. However, the airplane's radar track showed that the airplane then made a descending left turn. Subsequently, radio and radar contact with the pilot and airplane, respectively, were lost, and a search and rescue mission was initiated. Parts of the airplane were located, but the pilot and the majority of the airplane were not found. During the flight, the pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Dark (moonless) night conditions prevailed for the flight. Weather information did not reveal the presence of any aviation weather hazards. The data did identify the potential for broken cloud layers below 3,000 ft mean sea level in the area at the time of the accident. Further, weather radar imagery identified light rain showers at ground level. The pilot's intended flightpath likely would have taken the airplane through or very close to the area of light rain; however, it could not be determined how long the pilot might have operated the airplane in these conditions. It is likely that the pilot became spatially disoriented after flying over the ocean during dark night conditions with reduced visibility and subsequently failed to maintain airplane control.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Water › Contributed to outcome
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Rain › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 785 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGG Kahului HI at 4:54 am
- Destination: MKK Kaunakakai HI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 am from OGG, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3554Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.