History of Flight
On December 12, 2010, at about 2200 central standard time, a Diamond DA-40, registration N361DS, was substantially damaged by impact and postcrash fire in a field near Pearlington, Mississippi. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot was fatally injured. The flight departed Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida, at 1924, en route to Stennis International Airport (HSA), Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
According to Gulfport approach control, at 2021 the pilot was handed off from Mobile approach control. The airplane's mode C transponder reported 4,500 feet msl. At 2022, the pilot checked in and reported level at 4,500 feet. At 2052, the pilot reported HSA in sight 10 miles east. Radar service was terminated. Between 2053 and 2200, ARTS showed the airplane circling in the Bay St. Louis area with altitude variations from 8,400 feet to 700 feet. The last mode C target was at 2,000 feet at about 2200.
A witness near the accident site heard a single-engine airplane overhead between 2100 and 2200, heard the engine pitch changing, and saw the airplane doing loops. He observed the silhouette and strobes. The airplane then leveled out, turned north, and the pitch normalized. Local hunters found the downed airplane the next day in a wooded area about 5 miles from the witness's home.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 44, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane, issued on August 22, 2006. His most recent FAA medical was on February 16, 2009, with a second-class certificate and corrective lenses limitation. He reported 1,650 flight hours on that application and 30 hours within the last 6 months. His logbook was destroyed in the fire.
Aircraft Information
The single-engine, four-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear Diamond DA-40, serial number 40.261, was manufactured in 2003. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-M1A 180-horsepower engine. The logbooks were destroyed. The last annual inspection was completed on August 20, 2010, at 1,015 hours on the airframe and engine.
Meteorological Information
The 2055 weather observation at HSA (about 6 nautical miles northeast) included winds from 270° at 7 knots, clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 33°F, dew point 24°F, altimeter 30.12 inHg. Civil twilight occurred at 1754.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in a wooded area 6 miles southwest of HSA. The debris path extended from a field at a tree line. Three landing gear strikes were visible in the grass at the initial impact point. The airplane traveled about 75 feet before entering the tree line, collided with pine trees, traveled about 300 feet, and came to rest on a heading of 300° magnetic. Dry vegetation was present, and a postcrash fire was evident. The wreckage was at coordinates 30°19'20.5"N, 089°32'10.8"W.
The engine cowlings were fragmented. The engine assembly was detached from the airframe, with all accessories impact- and fire-damaged. The propeller hub remained attached; the three-bladed wooden propeller was splintered. The forward cabin area windscreen was broken, the instrument panel destroyed. Flight control continuity could not be confirmed; all control tubes were broken. The flap actuator was found retracted. The right and left wings were fragmented; both had fuel tanks with residual fuel, ruptured and buckled, and the fuel caps were secure. The aft fuselage and empennage were fragmented; vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizers, and elevators were separated or fragmented. The left and right main landing gear struts were separated.
Engine examination revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The muffler was examined and showed overstress fractures from impact, with no preexisting cracks.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on the pilot on December 14, 2010. Three toxicological tests were conducted. The local test reported 56.6% carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) in whole blood, but this was not confirmed by chromatography. The first CAMI test detected 21% carbon monoxide in cavity blood and positive ethanol values (e.g., 499 mg/dL in cavity blood, 206 mg/dL in heart), along with putrefaction. Acetaminophen (3.582 ug/ml) was also detected. The second CAMI report found the blood sample unsuitable for CO testing; the ethanol and drug values were the same. The NTSB chief medical officer noted the blood sample had so little hemoglobin that COHb could not be accurately determined.
Additional Information
FAA Advisory Circular 60-4A, "Pilot's Spatial Disorientation," describes disorientation and recommends instrument proficiency and avoiding flight into deteriorating weather.