Pilot Debrief

CIRRUS SR20 near Daytona Beach, FL — 2017-02-24

Final reportERA17LA113
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Date
2017-02-24
Location
Daytona Beach, FL, USA
Airport
7FL6
Aircraft
CIRRUS SR20
Registration
N255JB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions (fog) during initial climb, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.

NTSB narrative

The instrument-rated private pilot had filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for the cross-country flight, but intended to depart under visual flight rules conditions and open his IFR flight plan shortly after takeoff. He stated that, during the preflight inspection, he did not see any low clouds and was able to see stars above him. The airplane departed shortly before sunrise, and the pilot stated that, while retracting the flaps after takeoff, he encountered low-level fog about 300 ft agl and the airplane entered instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot made a right turn to avoid the final approach course to the opposite runway, then saw a tree and attempted to avoid impacting it; he then recalled waking up in the airplane on the ground. Weather conditions near the accident site about the time of the accident included scattered clouds at 500 ft and a visibility of 6 miles in mist. The series of events described by the pilot was consistent with a loss of control due to spatial disorientation, likely due to the unexpected loss of visibility during the initial climb.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
VFR into IMC
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have transitioned to IFR before takeoff in IMC conditions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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