What happened
On December 7, 2015, an experimental, amateur-built CCK-1865, registration N541TC, crashed into wooded terrain near Merrys Pymatuning Airport (PA01) in Linesville, Pennsylvania. The flight departed from Greenville Municipal Airport (4G1) at 1814. The pilot, who did not hold an instrument rating, offered the passenger a flight home after the pilot arrived at the maintenance facility where the passenger had been staying.
At the time of the accident, the area was experiencing night instrument meteorological conditions with dense fog. The aircraft was flying a course toward PA01, which features a single turf runway with no lighting. GPS and engine monitor data indicated that during the final two minutes of the flight, the aircraft descended from 2,000 feet to approximately 500 feet above ground level. The airplane overflew the destination airport at an altitude of approximately 300 feet and continued north for about one mile before impacting trees. The impact resulted in 2 fatal injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found the main fuselage was inverted at an elevation of 1,115 feet. The right wing had separated from the airframe, and the left wing and empennage were entangled in a tree. While the cockpit was crushed, the four-point harnesses remained intact. The engine remained attached to the fuselage, though the two-blade propeller had separated and shattered upon impact.
Review of the engine monitor and GPS data showed the engine was operating at 2,090 RPM at the end of the recorded data, and no preimpact mechanical malfunctions were identified. Control continuity for the elevator, rudder, and ailerons was confirmed, despite some cables exhibiting broomstraw separation due to the impact.