History of Flight
On January 13, 2015, about 2058 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N757ZM, collided with a public beach at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces. The airplane was registered to a private company and was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Night, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Massey Ranch Airpark (X50), Edgewater, Florida, about 2040.
Prior to the accident flight, the pilot, a Japanese citizen, contacted Flight Time Building LLC to purchase a block of flight time in a Cessna 152. The company sold blocks of flight time to licensed pilots, with 50 hours being the minimum. The company normally dispatched an airplane after a ground and flight checkout. On the day prior to the accident, the pilot flew a local flight with an instructor, followed by a cross country flight with a safety pilot who was an instructor-in-training. The owner reported that the pilot was not signed off for solo flight after those flights; the instructor stated he needed to see improved landings before approving her for solo.
On the day of the accident, she flew an undetermined number of local, solo flights without the knowledge of Flight Time Building personnel. She possessed the keys to the accident airplane since she had flown it the previous day. She refueled the airplane at her own expense and initiated the accident flight, which was a local, night flight in the traffic pattern at X50.
At 2042:03, a radar target correlated to the accident airplane was about 1 nautical mile south of X50, in a left 360-degree turn. At 2047:22, the pilot transmitted on 121.5 MHz "hello" twice, coinciding with the aircraft squawking 7700 about 3.5 nm south of X50. At 2047:42, the pilot stated "uh I don't know where I am I want to land." The Daytona Beach (DAB) Radar South controller and the New Smyrna Beach airport (EVB) local controller provided assistance. The pilot reported she could see the ground but could not maintain visual flight conditions. Between 2048 and 2053, the EVB controller turned the pilot toward EVB; the pilot reported seeing the airport but then lost sight. Communications were transferred to DAB approach but the pilot initially contacted on the wrong frequency. Eventually, the DAB controller established communications on 121.5 and instructed the pilot to maintain altitude, turn left heading 360, and look for EVB. The pilot reported being at 600 feet and in the clouds. The DAB controller instructed her to climb to at least 1,000 feet. At 2057:48, the pilot acknowledged the climb to 1,000 feet, followed by an unintelligible transmission. No further transmissions were received. Radar and radio contact was lost shortly after; the airplane crashed onto New Smyrna Beach in shallow water. Radar data indicated a descending, right turn prior to impact, with the last target at 500 feet mean sea level.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 38, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. She was issued an FAA third-class medical certificate on August 18, 2014, with a restriction to wear corrective lenses. Pilot records indicated about 416 total hours of flight experience as of January 7, 2015, with about 1.3 hours of night time and 6.1 hours of actual instrument time. She completed a flight review and instrument proficiency check in a Cessna 152 at Torrance, California on November 19, 2014. Both flight instructors reported she showed no weaknesses and was a "good pilot."
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a Cessna 152 manufactured in 1977, powered by a Lycoming O-235-L2C engine rated at 110 horsepower, with a fixed-pitch propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on October 27, 2014, at 502.1 hours tachometer time; observed tachometer time at accident was 525.8 hours. The owner estimated total airframe time at about 12,000 hours.
Meteorological Information
NWS Surface Analysis Charts for 1900 and 2200 on January 13, 2015 depicted a cold front moving across central into southern Florida with cold air stratus clouds behind the front. Numerous stations behind the front reported visibilities restricted in mist or fog, with temperature-dew point spreads less than 5°F. The NWS Weather Depiction Chart for 2000 showed an extensive area of IMC covering the accident site and most of central and northern Florida. The closest visual meteorological conditions were over southwestern Florida and extreme south Florida. No weather reporting was at X50. At EVB, about 3 minutes before the accident, weather reported wind from 350° at 8 knots, visibility 8 miles, ceiling overcast at 500 feet. At DAB, about 5 minutes before, weather reported wind from 020° at 9 knots, visibility 10 miles, ceiling overcast at 700 feet. At 2131, DAB special weather report included visibility 1 mile, ceiling overcast at 400 feet. At 2146, visibility 1/2 mile in fog, ceiling 300 feet. Sunset occurred about 1745; evening civil twilight about 1811.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in shallow water at coordinates 29 02 22.68N, 080 53 52.69W. The left and right wings separated from the fuselage during impact. The outboard 4 feet of the left wing separated; the right wing exhibited diagonal and aft crush deformation. Aileron, rudder, and elevator control cable continuity was established through multiple cuts and fractures consistent with overstress. The wing flap actuator was found in the retracted position. The fuselage separated into multiple sections; the right main landing gear was not recovered. Both wing fuel tanks were breached; no residual fuel was found. The fuel selector handle was in the "on" position; sand was found in the fuel strainer bowl. The propeller separated from the crankshaft flange, found partially buried in sand, with blades exhibiting twisting deformation, leading edge gouges, and surface polishing. The engine was separated from the firewall; carburetor and alternator missing. Mechanical internal continuity was confirmed; all valves action was observed; spark plugs showed normal appearance except for salt water, oil, and sand contamination. Inspection of the engine did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation or production of rated horsepower.
Additional Information
FAA Advisory Circular 61-134 discusses continued VFR flight into IMC as a leading cause of GA accidents. Advisory Circular 60-4A notes that spatial disorientation can occur when visual reference is lost, and it can take up to 35 seconds to establish full control by instruments. The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook states that night flying demands more attention due to limited outside visual references, and that the vestibular sense can confuse the pilot, leading to spatial disorientation.