History of Flight
On October 2, 2011, about 2045 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300R, N115CL, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain in a mountainous, wooded area near Peru, West Virginia. The flight departed Danville Regional Airport (DAN), Danville, Virginia, about 1930, with an intended destination of John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport (JST), Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Night, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The flight had originated at Grand Strand Airport (CRE), North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, about 1800 with the pilot and three passengers. After an intermediate stop at DAN, one passenger deplaned and the flight continued toward JST.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land privileges, issued August 31, 2011. As of his most recent logbook entry on September 24, 2011, he had recorded 110.5 total flight hours, including 40.4 hours in the accident airplane make and model. He had 5.4 hours of simulated instrument experience, all in a different aircraft type, and 7.6 hours of night experience, of which 3.0 were in the accident airplane with a certificated flight instructor. On September 4, 2011, he received endorsements for complex and high-performance airplane. He did not possess an instrument rating.
Meteorological Information
The 2055 recorded weather at Grant County Regional Airport (W99), approximately 11 miles northwest of the accident location, included calm winds, visibility 10 miles with light drizzle, broken clouds at 3,600 and 4,300 feet agl, and overcast at 5,000 feet agl. An AIRMET Sierra for IFR conditions and mountain obscuration was in effect along the intended route. The pilot received a preflight weather briefing earlier in the day during which he was notified of icing and IFR conditions, and VFR flight was not recommended.
Communications
At 2038, the pilot, who had been receiving flight following, told the controller he was losing VFR and intended to reverse course. He declined to file an IFR flight plan, stating he was unsure he had the plates. He subsequently contacted Flight Watch at 2016; the specialist informed him of the continuing AIRMET and low ceilings/visibility. Radar data showed the airplane entered a steep left spiral dive around 2041, losing 700 feet in 12 seconds. After brief recovery, the airplane disappeared from radar at 2042:30, the time of the pilot's final transmission.
Wreckage Examination
The airplane was found inverted in mountainous, wooded terrain along a 650-foot debris path oriented 045° magnetic. The main wreckage was at approximately 2,900 feet msl. The engine was separated and found near the main wreckage. The stabilator center section was located in a tree about 80 feet agl at the initial tree strike. The left wing was fragmented; the right wing section was found with the landing gear retracted. The flap handle was in the down (flaps up) position. The fuel selector valve was found in the right fuel tank position. The instrument panel was separated and yielded no usable information. No IFR charts were found among the wreckage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy on the pilot, performed October 8, 2011, reported catastrophic injuries. Toxicology detected ethanol in muscle, attributed to postmortem formation; no drugs were detected.