What happened
On the morning of the accident, the pilot was cleared for departure. At 0942, radar contact was established with the aircraft, at which time the pilot received instructions to turn left direct Sugarloaf VOR. Witnesses reported weather conditions consisting of fog with a visibility of 1 1/2 miles and an overcast ceiling between 200 and 300 feet. At 0945, radar contact with the aircraft was lost.
The wreckage was located approximately four miles east of Hendersonville Airport at the base of a hill, where the aircraft rested in a nose-down attitude. There were no fatalities reported in the provided records.
The investigation
Examination of the wreckage site showed that all engine and propeller components, as well as all flight control surfaces, remained at the site. A post-accident examination of the engine confirmed that the crankshaft had rotated and there was movement in the oil pump, pistons, and valve train across all cylinders. The three propeller blades were bent aft and exhibited chord-wise scoring.
The left and right wing assemblies remained attached to the fuselage but sustained crush damage. Additionally, the cockpit, empennage, vertical stabilizer, and horizontal flight surfaces and controls were found to be crush damaged.
Safety message
Spatial disorientation from illusions can be prevented only by maintaining visual reference to reliable, fixed points on the ground or to flight instruments. To prevent the most overwhelming illusions in flight, pilots should avoid making sudden, extreme head movements, particularly during prolonged constant-rate turns under instrument flight rules.