MOONEY M20C near Marana, AZ — 2021-12-31

Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation after entering instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to use of methamphetamine before the flight.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to use of methamphetamine before the flight.

NTSB narrative

The non-instrument-rated pilot departed into visual meteorological conditions (VMC) on a day cross-country flight. Concerned family members contacted flight service when the pilot was overdue at the destination airport. The wreckage was located 4 days later in dessert terrain about 56 miles from the departure airport. Flight track data indicated that after departure the airplane proceeded northwest toward the destination airport before it turned to the southwest. The airplane continued to the southwest, where it made a series of turns until radar contact was lost. Review of weather information near the accident location at the time of the accident indicated instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), including low ceilings and visibility, were most likely present at the time of the accident. It is unknown if the pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing. All major structural components of the airplane were located within the wreckage path. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preexisting anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Postmortem toxicology testing revealed varying levels of methamphetamine in the pilot’s liver and muscle tissue. The methamphetamine levels detected are consistent with the pilot’s use of methamphetamine before the flight. It is likely that the psychoactive effects from the pilot’s use of methamphetamine contributed to his decision to fly into conditions that he was not trained for. The non-instrument-rated pilot’s flight into IMC would have made airplane control by visual references difficult, especially while maneuvering. When there were no outside visual references, pilots must rely on use of flight instruments to understand their position in space. Based on the postaccident flight track data, the pilot made a series of turns that were inconsistent with his intended flight path and were likely the result of the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation. It is likely the pilot did not reference the flight instruments or was experiencing an increase in workload because of spatial disorientation, and did not recover the airplane from its descent.

Analysis

Primary failure mode

Spatial disorientation

First missed decision gate

Pilot could have chosen to avoid flying in marginal weather conditions.

NTSB coding

• Loss of visual reference · Enroute
• Impairment / Incapacitation
• Spatial Disorientation

Evidence available

• Video
• ADS-B / radar
• 7 docket documents

Docket documents7

• ACCIDENT SITE EXAMINATIONother
• PILOT LOGBOOK (PARTIAL)other
• SAR FLIGHT TRACKradar
• MEDICAL FACTUALreport
• METEOROLOGY SPECIALIST'S FACTUAL REPORTreport
• TOXICOLOGICAL REPORTreport
• SAR FLIGHT TRACK VIDEO WITH WXvideo

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