Accident Overview
On April 2, 2015, about 0600 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, registration N65463, collided with terrain near Batesville, Arkansas. The airplane was destroyed, and the student rated pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, operating without a flight plan in dark night visual meteorological conditions. The aircraft had departed Salem Airport (7M9), Salem, Arkansas, at an undetermined time, en route to Carlisle Municipal Airport (4M3), Carlisle, Arkansas.
Earlier that morning, about 0200, the pilot and a passenger had departed Carlisle Municipal Airport for Salem. The pilot intended to return solo to Carlisle. The accident occurred during the return flight.
A resident reported hearing an engine rev up followed by a possible crash around 0600. Deputies arriving on scene reported heavy, patchy fog. The wreckage was located on April 3, 2015, in a wooded area of Brock Mountain, Arkansas.
Pilot Information
The 52-year-old pilot held a combined student pilot certificate with a third-class medical issued March 5, 2014. He did not report his flight time on that application. Previous medical applications from 1990 and 1984 showed varying reported times. Pilot logbooks provided to the FAA indicated that as of July 22, 2014, he had logged approximately 332.5 hours total time, with the last entry on that date. Based on maintenance logbook entries and tachometer readings, an additional 43.3 hours were estimated, bringing total time to about 365.8 hours. No night flying time was logged, and his night experience could not be determined. There was no evidence of recent flight instruction or endorsements.
Aircraft Information
The 1978 Cessna 152 was a single-engine, high-wing, fixed tricycle landing gear airplane powered by a Lycoming O-235-L2C engine rated at 118 horsepower, driving a Sensenich two-blade fixed-pitch propeller. The aircraft was equipped and authorized for night operations. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on March 26, 2014, at 14,774 total airframe hours, with 1,129 hours since engine overhaul.
Meteorological Information
At 0555, an automated station at Batesville Regional Airport (BVX), 6.5 nautical miles northeast of the accident site, reported wind from 190° at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 1,000 feet, broken at 1,900 feet, overcast at 3,200 feet, temperature 18°C, dew point 16°C, barometric pressure 29.87 inches of mercury. The facility lacked a precipitation discriminator. The accident site was on a bluff at about 1,025 feet mean sea level, higher than the airport's 463-foot elevation.
At 0535, an automated station at Clinton Municipal Airport (CCA), 34 nautical miles west, reported calm wind, visibility 5 miles, mist, overcast ceiling at 700 feet, temperature and dew point 16°C, pressure 29.88 inches. An NTSB meteorologist found no significant radar echoes in the area. Infrared satellite imagery showed cloud tops near 7,000 feet. The sun and moon were below the horizon at the accident time. There was no evidence that the pilot received a weather briefing.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in a heavily wooded area on Brock Mountain, approximately 7 nautical miles west of Batesville Regional Airport. Initial impact was with the tops of 45-foot tall trees. The debris field spanned about 115 yards long and 25 yards wide, oriented along a 255° heading, with initial tree damage following a 038° heading. The empennage separated aft of the aft bulkhead. Seats and floorboards were fractured. The engine and instrument panel were found at the end of the debris field. Control cables were broken in multiple locations with broomstrawing typical of overload. The propeller separated at the hub, both blades showing nicks and gouges, and one blade's outboard third was fractured. The magneto switch was set to both, the throttle full forward, and the mixture near full rich. No preexisting anomalies were found with the airframe or engine. An open, empty bottle of hydrocodone/acetaminophen prescribed to the pilot was found in a cockpit compartment.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, with the manner ruled accidental. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed toxicology on putrefied specimens. The results detected ethanol (likely from decomposition but ingestion not ruled out), desmethylsertraline, dihydrocodeine, hydrocodone, phentermine, sertraline, and trazodone in various tissues. Sertraline is a prescription antidepressant; the FAA requires a Special Issuance Medical Certificate for its use. Hydrocodone, a narcotic, is disqualifying for FAA certification. Phentermine, an appetite suppressant, is not acceptable for airman duties. Trazodone, an antidepressant, is also disqualifying. On his most recent medical application, the pilot only reported taking Lisinopril for high blood pressure.