Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-28R-180 near Tifton, GA — 2013-10-18

Final reportERA14FA002
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Date
2013-10-18
Location
Tifton, GA, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-28R-180
Registration
N11ML
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The noninstrument-rated pilot’s improper decision to continue visual flight rules flight into known instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of airplane control.

NTSB narrative

About 2 hours into the 3-hour flight, an air traffic controller advised the noninstrument-rated pilot of an area of heavy and moderate precipitation extending from the airplane's 10- to 2-o'clock positions and 14 miles ahead. The pilot acknowledged the information and stated that he was going to try to fly around it. No further communications were received from the accident pilot. Radar data were consistent with a right, descending spiral to the ground in an area of very light precipitation. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had accumulated 163 total flight hours, 1.7 hours of which were logged as simulated instrument experience. He had no documented actual instrument experience. No evidence was found indicating that the plot obtained a weather briefing before the flight. Although toxicological testing revealed low levels of ethanol in the kidney and liver, the levels may have been from postmortem production, and the absence of vitreous, blood, or urine samples limited the interpretation. Similarly, although diphenhydramine, a sedating antihistamine, was present in the liver and muscle, without appropriate specimens, the investigation could not determine if it was impairing at the time of the accident. Given the presence of instrument meteorological conditions, including both degraded visibility and precipitation, and the pilot's lack of an instrument rating, the pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation. Further, the circumstances of the accident, including the high descent rate over a confined area and the spiral descent are consistent with the presence of spatial disorientation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to avoid the area of heavy precipitation.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ATC audio
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 19 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents19

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