Pilot Debrief

Evektor-Aerotechnik AS Sportstar Plus near Marysville, OH — 2010-03-05

Final reportCEN10FA141
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Date
2010-03-05
Location
Marysville, OH, USA
Aircraft
Evektor-Aerotechnik AS Sportstar Plus
Registration
N930LA
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to initiate and continue a flight into instrument meteorological conditions that led to spatial disorientation and a loss of control during cruise flight.

NTSB narrative

The sport pilot departed on a cross-country flight without a flight plan and there was no record of a weather briefing for the route of flight with forecasted instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Recorded radar data showed that as the airplane approached the area of IMC, it changed heading and altitude and tracked southward, which was then followed by a descending turn with increasing airspeed. The airplane impacted a field in a nose-down attitude. The pilot was taking three different medications to treat his diabetes, which would have increased his risk for impairment due to excessively low blood sugar. He had been using a medication for respiratory symptoms combining a narcotic and an antihistamine, both of which have potentially impairing effects. He also may have taken another medication containing the same antihistamine. He had been using a stimulant typically prescribed for weight loss and a sedative previously prescribed for insomnia. He was at high risk for, and had previously been noted to possibly have, obstructive sleep apnea, which can cause severe fatigue and resultant impairment. The pilot may have been impaired or distracted by symptoms of his medical conditions or by effects of medications used to treat those conditions. The extent to which such possible impairment or distraction may have contributed to the accident is unclear. The crash severity precluded the determination of the existence or absence of substantive pre-existing disease, or the determination regarding when medications may have most recently been used. The pilot did not have a Federal Aviation Administration airman medical certificate, nor was he required to for a sport pilot certificate. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
VFR into IMC
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not check weather or file a flight plan before departure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • 14 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents14

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