Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182T near Santee, CA — 2018-02-06

Final reportWPR18FA084
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Date
2018-02-06
Location
Santee, CA, USA
Airport
SEE
Aircraft
CESSNA 182T
Registration
N3525T
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to take off into instrument meteorological conditions that resulted in spatial disorientation, and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were departing on a cross-country flight. A video recorded by one of the witnesses showed the airplane in a climb when it entered low-level fog. A short time later, the airplane reappeared out of the fog traveling back toward the airport in a descending left turn. The nose of the airplane had pitched up, and the airplane descended out of view of the camera below the rooftops of several buildings. Another witness at the accident site reported that the airplane descended in a nose and left-wing low attitude to ground impact. Four witnesses in the surrounding area reported a low-level fog and one reported visibility about 1 mile, and another witness estimated that the airplane entered the fog bank about 500 ft above ground level. The pilot received a preflight weather briefing, which indicated instrument meteorological conditions at the departure airport around the time of departure. The pilot was instrument-rated but had filed a visual flight plan rather than an instrument flight plan for the accident flight. A review of the pilot's logbook indicated a total of 62.6 hours of simulated instrument flight time, 1.6 hours of which was in the 90 days before the accident, but no actual instrument flight time. After taking off into instrument meteorological conditions, it is likely that the pilot became spatially disoriented when he entered the reduced visibility of the fog. While maneuvering back to the airport, the airplane subsequently exceeded its critical angle of attack and aerodynamically stalled. An examination of the airplane's airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
VFR into IMC
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff due to low visibility and fog conditions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 17 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents17

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