History of Flight
On December 9, 2011, at approximately 2000 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-235D, registration N999RR, impacted terrain about 5 miles west of Chickasha, Oklahoma. The pilot and a passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The aircraft was registered to and operated by B&H Construction, LLC, of Norman, Oklahoma, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Marginal visual meteorological conditions (MVMC) prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from Guymon, Oklahoma (KGUY), around 1830, and was en route to Goldsby, Oklahoma (K1K4).
According to family members, the two men were returning from a hunting trip. The pilot contacted the Fort Worth Automated Flight Service Station at 1545 and requested an outlook briefing for a visual flight rules (VFR) flight from KGUY to Norman (KOUN), located about 5 miles north of Goldsby. He noted that instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) currently prevailed at KGUY and planned to depart in about two hours. The briefer informed the pilot that IMC would persist along the first three-quarters of the route, with ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibilities less than 3 miles in mist and fog, expected to continue until 0300 the next morning. The forecast for KGUY until 2000 included wind from 040 degrees at 8 knots, unlimited visibility, and a 600-foot overcast ceiling. After 2000, conditions were expected to improve slightly: wind from 190 degrees at 5 knots, unlimited visibility, and scattered clouds at 1,000 feet. At 2300, the wind would be from 210 at 5 knots, visibility 3 miles in mist, and an overcast ceiling at 1,000 feet. The briefing ended at 1548.
The pilot departed KGUY around 1830. No radio communications were established with the pilot. Around 2030, residents near the accident site reported hearing an engine at high power, followed by ground shaking and the sound of impact. They searched the area and located the wreckage shortly thereafter.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 47, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, issued August 6, 2011. He was not instrument rated. He also held a third-class airman medical certificate, dated March 10, 2011, with no restrictions or limitations.
The pilot's logbook, recovered at the site, contained entries from January 15 to November 24, 2011. It indicated he began flying lessons on January 15, started flying N999RR exclusively on March 21, and obtained his private pilot license on August 6, 2011. As of November 24, 2011, his flight times totaled: 191.2 hours total, 128.0 pilot-in-command, 98.8 solo, 62.8 dual instruction, 150.4 cross-country, 3.1 simulated instruments, 16.3 night, and 182.5 in the PA-28-235.
A notebook with tachometer readings was also found; the last complete entry was November 24 for 30 minutes. The next entry, dated December 8, was not completed. The pilot had not flown between November 24 and December 8.
Aircraft Information
N999RR (serial number 28-11339) was manufactured by Piper Aircraft Corporation in 1969. It was powered by a Lycoming O-540-B4B5 engine (serial number L-13558-40), rated at 235 horsepower, driving a Hartzell two-blade, all-metal, constant speed propeller (model HC-C2YK-1B F). The aircraft was a four-place, low-wing design with fixed landing gear and a gross weight of 2,900 pounds.
According to maintenance records, the last annual and 100-hour inspections of the airframe, engine, and propeller were performed on March 2, 2011, at a tachometer time of 1,593.2 hours and total airframe time of 3,983.6 hours. At that time, a zero-time overhauled engine was installed. The propeller was last overhauled on November 12, 2000.
Wreckage and Impact
The on-scene investigation revealed that the airplane impacted the ground between two buildings in a near-vertical attitude. The buildings and an overhead power line were not struck. The engine and propeller were buried in the crater. All cables were on their respective pulleys, and cable breaks showed overload signatures. Two shotguns were found in the wreckage.
Meteorological Information
At the time of departure from KGUY, weather was reported as 600 feet overcast with 10 miles visibility. At Chickasha near the accident time, conditions varied between 900 and 1,100 feet overcast with 7 miles visibility. Norman reported 900 feet overcast and 7 miles visibility, while Oklahoma City reported a ceiling of 900 feet overcast and 6 miles visibility in haze.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner attributed death to multiple blunt force trauma. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute conducted toxicology tests. Carbon monoxide and cyanide tests were not performed. No drugs were detected in muscle tissue, but 12 mg/dL of ethanol was found in muscle tissue. According to CAMI, the circumstances of the accident rendered this reading meaningless.
Tests and Research
A Garmin GTN-650 Nav/Com/GPS and a Garmin GDL-69A Weather Data Receiver were recovered from the wreckage and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. Examination revealed that the GTN-650's non-volatile memory only retains flight plan catalog, user settings, and recent frequencies; it does not retain flight data or track history. The GDL-69A serves as a data source to other units and has no data storage of its own.
Additional Information
FAA Advisory Circular 60-4A, titled "Pilot's Spatial Disorientation," notes that disorientation results from a lack of visual reference to the natural horizon and can be caused by low visibility, night conditions, and reflected light from anticollision beacons. Disorientation can lead pilots to inadvertently place the airplane in a dangerous attitude. The Advisory recommends that pilots obtain training and maintain proficiency in aircraft control by reference to instruments, rely solely on those instrument indications, and avoid flying in poor or deteriorating weather conditions.