History of Flight
On October 21, 2013, at approximately 1530 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N113WS, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Talihina, Oklahoma. The airline transport pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Searcy Municipal Airport (SRC), Searcy, Arkansas, around 1330, en route to Elk City, Oklahoma.
Radar data showed the airplane traveled west/southwest after departure, reaching a maximum altitude of 2,800 feet mean sea level (msl). Radar contact was lost at 1455 at 2,200 feet msl, approximately 29 miles northeast of the accident site. No communications with air traffic control were recorded.
Witnesses along the route observed the airplane flying westward at low altitude around 1505, with the last sighting about 1520. They reported the airplane in and out of IMC, with heavy rain showers in the area. The engine was described as "running smoothly," and the airplane did not appear to be in distress. An alert notice was issued after the airplane failed to arrive; it was located by search personnel on October 24, 2013, at 1400.
Personnel Information
The 71-year-old pilot held an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with single-engine land, multiengine land, and single-engine sea ratings, as well as a flight instructor certificate with single-engine and multiengine land ratings. His most recent second-class medical certificate was issued on October 18, 2012, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. He reported 14,000 total flight hours and 100 hours in the preceding six months. His logbooks were not located. Federal Aviation Administration records indicated he was involved in an accident on April 21, 2012, attributed to fuel exhaustion. He passed a reexamination check on August 27, 2012.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane, a Piper PA-28-140 (serial number 28-20738), was manufactured in 1965. It held a standard airworthiness certificate for normal or utility operations. The engine was a Lycoming O-320-E2A rated at 150 horsepower. Maintenance was conducted under an annual inspection program; the last annual inspection was completed on August 15, 2013, at a total airframe time of 4,980 hours. The airplane flew about 24 hours between that inspection and the accident, and the engine had accumulated 2,486 hours since overhaul.
Meteorological Conditions
A National Transportation Safety Board senior meteorologist reviewed weather documents for the accident site and estimated time. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a formal weather briefing. The National Weather Service Surface Analysis Chart for 1300 showed a frontal wave and low pressure system near the accident site and along the route, with light continuous rain and temperature-dew point spreads of 4 degrees Fahrenheit or less. The Regional Radar Mosaic at 1500 depicted a line of weather echoes extending from western Oklahoma to northern Arkansas, along the planned route.
The Weather Depiction Chart at 1400 indicated instrument flight rules conditions surrounded by marginal visual flight rules over southeast Oklahoma. The closest reporting stations were Robert S. Kerr Airport (RKR), Poteau, Oklahoma, 23 miles northeast, which at 1515 reported wind 350 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 2 miles in heavy rain, temperature and dew point 13 degrees Celsius. McAlester Regional Airport (MLC), 24 miles west-northwest, at 1505 reported wind 010 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles in light rain, ceiling broken at 800 feet, overcast at 4,900 feet; a special observation at 1514 noted heavy rain and mist, visibility 4 miles. Satellite imagery showed cloud tops near 12,000 feet over the accident site. Radar indicated the site near the leading edge of an echo line; lightning was detected further south.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was at 1,746 feet msl in densely wooded, hilly terrain. Cut trees were found along a magnetic heading of 220 degrees. The main wreckage included the fuselage, empennage, engine, and inboard left wing; the right wing and outboard left wing were separated. The fuselage showed deformation from tree and terrain impact. The engine remained attached; the nose landing gear was bent aft. The propeller was separated; one blade bent forward 1-2 degrees with gouges, the other bent aft 30-35 degrees. The altimeter Kollsman window was set to 30.02 inches Hg; the tachometer indicated 1,100 RPM and 5,004.23 hours. Both wing fuel tanks were compromised with no fuel noted. Control continuity was established; the flap position was consistent with fully retracted. Engine mechanical continuity was confirmed; thumb compression was noted on all cylinders except the number one cylinder, which had damaged pushrods. The vacuum pump was fractured.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on October 25, 2013, listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing was negative for ethanol; specimens were unsuitable for carbon monoxide testing. Dextromethorphan and Dextrorphan were detected in lung, liver, and blood specimens; Doxylamine was detected in urine. These are non-sedating over-the-counter medications used for heartburn, colds, and nasal drainage.