History of Flight
On December 24, 2009, about 2200 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-140, N1277T, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Heflin, Alabama. The certificated student pilot was fatally injured. Marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight originated at St. Clair County Airport (PLR), Pell City, Alabama, and was destined for Cobb County-McCollum Field (RYY), Atlanta, Georgia. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The student pilot had not contacted the FAA or Lockheed Martin Flight Service for a weather briefing or to file a flight plan. According to the student pilot's girlfriend, he intended to visit her and her family in Atlanta for Christmas. He originally planned to fly the following day but decided to depart the night prior. She spoke with him between 2045 and 2145 while he was at PLR, informing him of a high wind advisory and poor weather in Atlanta. He responded, "I'm a pilot," and stated it was windy but not raining at PLR; she reported it was raining hard at RYY. He expected to land around 2330 eastern standard time. When he had not arrived by 0200 on December 25, authorities were notified, and an ALNOT was issued. Search and rescue located the airplane in the Talladega National Forest around 1600 on December 25.
Personnel Information
The student pilot, age 21, held an FAA third-class medical and student pilot certificate issued on November 6, 2009. At that time, he reported 6 hours of total flight experience. His logbook indicated the first entry on October 30, 2009, and a total of 26 hours of flight experience over the previous 2 months, including 6.5 hours of night flight with an instructor. He completed his first solo flight on December 20, 2009, and his second solo on December 23, both in the traffic pattern at PLR. His solo endorsement limited him to within 25 miles of ASN, with wind 10 knots, crosswind less than 6 knots, cloud ceiling 2,300 feet, and visibility greater than 6 miles. He did not have an instructor's endorsement for cross-country flight, and both instructors stated he had not received cross-country training.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-28-140 was a low-wing airplane powered by a single Lycoming O-320 engine, manufactured in 1972. The student pilot purchased the airplane on December 23, 2009. The most recent annual inspection was completed on November 1, 2009, at a tachometer time of 492 hours, with no anomalies noted. Fuel records from PLR showed the airplane was last refueled at 1205 on December 24 with 26.54 gallons. Post-accident samples from the fuel tank, filters, and dispenser hose showed no contamination or water.
Meteorological Information
Recorded weather from PLR at 2120 included winds from 110 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 17 knots, visibility 5 miles, few clouds at 200 feet, broken ceiling at 1,600 feet, and overcast at 3,000 feet. At 1930: winds 100 degrees at 10 knots gusting 20, visibility 6 miles, broken at 1,800 and 2,800 feet. At 1940: winds 100 degrees at 12 knots gusting 20, visibility 5 miles, few at 100 feet, broken at 1,600, overcast at 4,200. At Anniston Municipal Airport (ANB), 13 nautical miles southwest of the accident site: at 2053, winds 100 degrees at 17 knots gusting 24, 4 miles visibility with rain and mist, broken ceiling 1,900 feet; at 2153, winds 110 degrees at 11 knots gusting 19, 4 miles visibility with rain and mist, scattered at 1,700; at 2253, winds 110 degrees at 15 knots gusting 25, 2.5 miles visibility with rain and mist, scattered at 1,600. At RYY: at 2050, winds 100 degrees at 17 knots gusting 27, 10 miles visibility, broken at 2,000, overcast at 9,000; at 2148, winds 110 degrees at 18 knots gusting 30, 7 miles visibility with light rain, overcast at 1,600. Between 1900 and 2000, the Anniston Fire Department received numerous calls for downed power lines and outages due to heavy rain and high winds near the accident site.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a heavily wooded area at an elevation of 1,244 feet, coordinates 33 degrees 42 minutes north, 085 degrees 36 minutes west. It came to rest upright on a 35-degree downslope, oriented on a heading of 120 degrees magnetic. All components were in a compact area with no wreckage path and no disturbed surrounding trees. The forward cabin was severely crushed aft from the instrument panel to the aft bulkhead. The firewall, engine, and propeller were buried in the ground just forward of the fuselage. The throttle and mixture controls were in the full forward position. The altimeter displayed 960 feet with 29.60 set, airspeed indicator showed 190 mph (160 knots), vertical speed indicator showed a 750 fpm descent, magnetic compass indicated 090 degrees, and the VOR was set to 090 degrees. Both wings remained attached with symmetrical aft crushing on leading edges; fuel tanks were breached with caps secured. The empennage had little to no damage. Flight control continuity was confirmed; flaps were retracted.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences performed an autopsy on the pilot on December 29, 2009, listing cause of death as "blunt force injuries due to aircraft collision." Blood submitted for toxicology was from the pleural space. FAA toxicology detected: ethanol in brain (73 mg/dL), muscle (72), blood (64), heart (57); amphetamine in lung (0.772 ug/ml) and liver (0.489 ug/ml). Medical records from a family practice physician indicated discontinuation of an antidepressant in June 2006 and subsequent trials of three medications for ADHD symptoms. Pharmacy records showed monthly prescriptions for 30 tablets of 20 mg extended-release mixed amphetamine salts since September 2009, last filled December 23, 2009. The student pilot's medical application dated November 5, 2009, did not note any medications or diagnoses. At the wreckage, four unopened beer cans were found in a duffel bag, and four additional beer cans were around the wreckage; impact damage prevented determining if they were opened prior to impact. Also found were an empty Red Bull can, an ashtray with cigarette butts, a water bottle with chewed tobacco, and a prescription bottle for "D-AMPHETAMINE SALT XR 20 MG" (generic Adderall XR 20 mg) filled December 23, with 25 of 30 pills remaining.
Additional Information
A Lowrance Airmap 1000 GPS and a FujiFilm camera were recovered. The GPS sustained significant damage but no data from the accident flight was recovered. The camera's SD card had no accident-related files. Security camera footage from PLR showed the student pilot fueling the airplane around 1200 on December 24, then arriving again at 1450. At 1455, an airplane appearing to be the accident airplane taxied to the runway. The cameras did not show him leaving or returning again; the pilot-controlled runway lights were activated at 2158. Both flight instructors stated they explained the solo sign-off restrictions: no night flight, no passengers, no more than 25 miles from PLR, and only landing at PLR. The girlfriend reported she had flown with him on several occasions and described him as a "good pilot" capable of flying with or without GPS and in instrument conditions. She also said he was "hard headed" and could not be dissuaded from the accident flight. One instructor drove by PLR on the day of the accident, saw him fueling, and called to say he should be done flying due to weather; the student pilot agreed and said he would put the airplane away. The same instructor characterized the student pilot as "overconfident" and noted he had "pretty good" night flying skills but was "terrible" at instrument flight, and had not taught him GPS use. A review of the student pilot's driving record showed no alcohol-related incidents but violations for speeding (three times), improper tag, running a red light, and a 60-day license suspension for mutilating a license; he also had two vehicle accidents with fault not noted.