Accident Overview
On September 10, 2014, at approximately 1309 eastern daylight time, a Piper J3C-65 Cub, registration N26105, was substantially damaged during an emergency landing and subsequent in-flight collision with trees and terrain near Carroll County, Virginia. The private pilot, who was operating the airplane as a sport pilot due to lack of a current medical certificate, sustained serious injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight originated from Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW) in Beckley, West Virginia, at 1145 and was destined for Smith Reynolds Airport (INT) in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector, the airplane came to rest in a remote, wooded area approximately 40 nautical miles west of BKW at an elevation of about 2,534 feet. Photographs taken by the Virginia State Police showed that the airplane was largely intact except for the right wing, which was found in a nearby tree. Compression wrinkles were visible throughout the wings, fuselage, and empennage, and the leading edges of the wings exhibited aft crush damage.
Pilot Information
The pilot, interviewed by the NTSB investigator-in-charge on October 29, 2014, reported that he was on a month-long cross-country flight across the United States. After refueling at BKW, he departed for INT and followed an interstate highway, as was his custom. About 40 nautical miles from his destination, he encountered mist and descended, but the mist became heavier. He then configured the airplane for an emergency landing on the interstate and descended between two tree lines. However, the airplane impacted a tree, fell to the ground, and came to rest in a nose-down attitude. The pilot stated that his attention was focused on the interstate and not on surrounding obstacles. He also noted no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane. The pilot reported that he typically obtained weather via the Foreflight application but did not recall if he did so before departing BKW.
A Virginia State Trooper reported that the pilot indicated he decided to land after the weather abruptly changed to fog. A witness described the weather as "foggy and rainy" and stated that he saw the airplane cruising above the tree tops on a southerly heading before it "went straight into the trees."
Aircraft Information
The single-engine, fixed-gear, high-wing airplane was manufactured in 1939 and powered by a Continental A75-A 75-horsepower engine with a Sensenich two-bladed propeller. According to the pilot, the airplane was not certified for flight under instrument flight rules. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, but he did not possess a current medical certificate and was therefore operating as a sport pilot. At the time of the accident, he reported 4,399 total flight hours, with 1,423 hours in the accident make and model. His last instrument proficiency check was in 2005.
Weather Conditions
The National Weather Service Boston Area Forecast indicated overcast clouds at 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) with visibility 3-5 statute miles in mist, improving between 1000 and 1300 to scattered clouds at 2,500 feet msl and broken clouds at 4,500 feet. An AIRMET Sierra was in effect for mountain obscuration due to clouds and mist.
The Washington, D.C. (ZDC) Air Route Traffic Control Center Meteorological Impact Statement, valid from 0729 to 1600, forecast limited instrument flight rule conditions due to low ceilings, reduced visibility, and fog through 1100, with marginal visual flight rule conditions and patchy ceilings and mist across the area.
Weather recorded at Twin County Airport (HLX), elevation 2,694 feet, 9 nautical miles north of the accident site, at 1315 included winds from 180 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, overcast ceiling at 700 feet, temperature 19°C, dew point 17°C, and altimeter 30.21 inches Hg. A weather report from the Virginia Department of Transportation, about one mile from the accident site at elevation approximately 2,500 feet, recorded at 1310: wind calm, air temperature 18°C, dew point 18°C, and visibility 1,030 feet.
Investigation
Global positioning system data from an onboard Garmin GPSMAP 296 showed that the airplane departed BKW at 1137 and climbed, following the interstate at various altitudes until 1300, when it began a descent from about 3,350 feet. At 1308, it leveled off at 2,600 feet and remained in straight and level flight until 1309, when the data ended near the accident site. A GoPro Hero video recorder was recovered but contained no recorded data.