Pilot Debrief

CIRRUS SR20 near Toms River, NJ — 2023-09-03

Final reportERA23FA358
Sign in to save
Date
2023-09-03
Location
Toms River, NJ, USA
Airport
MJX
Aircraft
CIRRUS SR20
Registration
N420PB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain a positive climb rate after takeoff due to spatial disorientation (somatogravic illusion), which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot was endorsed by his instructor for solo night flight to a nearby airport. ADS-B track data indicated that the accident occurred during the pilot’s fourth takeoff following three full-stop landings. ADS-B data showed the airplane at 275 ft mean sea level (msl) and 62 knots (kts) groundspeed as it climbed over the runway. The airplane climbed to 425 ft at a groundspeed of 56 kts before it leveled between 425 and 500 ft msl and accelerated to 90 kts groundspeed for about 30 seconds. The airplane then began a descending, accelerating right turn until the target disappeared at an altitude of about 150 ft msl and at a groundspeed about 128 kts. Airport surveillance videos showed the airplane in a shallow climb after takeoff and descending below the tree line, followed by a postimpact fire. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted heavily wooded terrain in a wings-level, shallow descent, with cut tree limbs in the area consistent with the engine producing power at the time of impact. The airplane was mostly consumed by postimpact fire; however, examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Another pilot, who was flying in the airport traffic pattern around the time of the accident, stated that the area past the departure end of the runway was dark, and that “instrument monitoring was essential on climb out.” Such lighting conditions are highly conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. Further, the altitude profile depicted by the ADS-B data and the near-wings-level attitude and high speed at impact were consistent with the pilot experiencing a form of spatial disorientation known as somatogravic illusion. This type of spatial disorientation occurs when a pilot errantly perceives the airplane's acceleration as increasing pitch attitude, and efforts to hold the nose down or arrest the perception of increasing pitch attitude can exacerbate the situation. Such an illusion can be especially difficult to overcome because it typically occurs at low altitudes after takeoff, which provides little time for recognition and subsequent corrective inputs, particularly in very low visibility conditions.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Spatial disorientation
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to abort the flight due to darkness and lack of ground references.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 11 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents11

Related mishaps