History of Flight
On November 7, 2017, about 1845 central standard time, a Piper PA-32-300, N47831, was destroyed after impacting terrain near Morrison, Tennessee. The flight instructor and private pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Monroe County Aeroplex Airport (MVC), Monroeville, Alabama, about 1625, and was destined for Warren County Memorial Airport (RNC), McMinnville, Tennessee.
According to a friend of the private pilot, who was also a pilot, he and the private pilot were fishing in Florida the day before the accident. The flight instructor flew to Destin Executive Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida, the day of the accident to pick up the pilot. The friend stated that he tried to convince the private pilot to drive back from Florida with him instead of flying since the weather "was so bad."
A fuel receipt from a fixed base operator at DTS indicated that the airplane was fueled with 27 gallons of fuel before it departed for MVC, an intermediate stop on the way to RNC.
According to air traffic control data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the controller cleared the airplane for the RNAV Runway 23 approach to RNC and issued a frequency change to the RNC common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). The pilots conducted a missed approach and subsequently requested a clearance to Upper Cumberland Regional Airport (SRB), Sparta, Tennessee. The controller radar-identified the airplane, instructed the pilots to climb to 5,000 ft mean sea level (msl), and cleared the airplane to SRB. The controller also issued the weather for SRB, which included overcast clouds at 300 ft above ground level (agl). One of the pilots asked the controller to verify the overcast cloud conditions at SRB and indicated that he would tune the radio to the SRB automated weather observation service (AWOS) broadcast. About this time, the radar target reached about 4,800 ft and began a right descending turn. While in the descent, one of the pilots declared "mayday" and the target continued to descend at a maximum rate of about 4,500 ft per minute until radar contact was lost.
According to witnesses, the engine was "loud" and they reported hearing it "throttle up" before they heard the impact. One witness stated that the airplane "sounded like it was doing crazy maneuvers."
Personnel Information
According to FAA airman records, the flight instructor held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multiengine land, airplane single-engine land, glider, rotorcraft-gyroplane, and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine, glider, rotorcraft-gyroplane, and instrument airplane. He received a BasicMed certificate on June 22, 2017. In August 2016, he reported 8,312 total hours of flight experience. According to the flight log found in the airplane, he had accumulated about 2 hours of flight time in the accident airplane since October 6, 2017.
The private pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on November 3, 2016. On the application, he reported 16 total hours of flight experience, all within the previous 6 months. According to a flight log found in the wreckage, he had accumulated about 24 hours of flight time in the accident airplane since October 6, 2017. A friend of the pilot stated that the pilot was scheduled to take his instrument rating practical test on November 27, 2017, and that the pilot "had about 40 hours of actual instrument time since he flew the airplane everywhere for work and would take the flight instructor with him."
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1978 and was purchased by the private pilot in September 2016. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540 series, 300-horsepower engine equipped with a Hartzell constant-speed propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on May 1, 2017, at a total time of 4,133 hours and a Hobbs time of 1,549.3 hours. At the time of departure on the accident flight, the Hobbs meter indicated 1,781.3 hours.
Meteorological Information
The 1845 recorded weather observation at RNC, about 5 miles northeast of the accident site, included wind from 350° at 6 knots, 2 1/2 miles visibility, mist, overcast clouds at 500 ft agl, temperature 12°C, dew point 11°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.09 inches of mercury.
The 1845 recorded weather observation at SRB, about 31 miles northeast of the accident site, included wind from 340° at 6 knots, 8 miles visibility, overcast ceiling at 400 ft agl, temperature 10°C, dew point 10°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.08 inches of mercury.
According to an NTSB meteorologist, the observations surrounding the accident time indicated mainly IFR conditions with brief periods of low IFR (LIFR) conditions in mist. No precipitation was observed around the accident time.
The pilot received Leidos weather briefings at 0605 and 0953 for planned flights on the day of the accident, but not for the accident flight. The pilot had additional contact with Leidos at 0838 and 1556. During the 1556 contact, the accident flight route was discussed, and the pilot mentioned that he already had the weather conditions for the proposed destination and that the conditions were LIFR. The accident pilot did not request any weather information or forecast information during the 1556 briefing. All standard weather forecast and current weather information were provided during the 0605 and 0953 briefings.
According to the Astronomical Applications Department at the United States Naval Observatory, sunset was at 1642, the end of civil twilight was at 1709, and moonrise was at 2015. The phase of the moon was waning gibbous, with 83% of the moon's visible disk illuminated.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage was located in a field at an elevation of 1,030 ft msl about 1,500 ft from the last radar return. The airplane impacted the field and came to rest about 100 ft beyond the initial impact point on a 040° heading. A 2.5-ft indentation was noted at the initial impact point. All major components were located in the vicinity.
The wreckage came to rest upright and was partially consumed by postimpact fire. Flight control continuity was confirmed from all flight control surfaces to the cockpit controls through cuts made to facilitate recovery. The cockpit area was damaged. The electric HSI remote gyro was removed, disassembled, and rotational scoring was noted on the housing. The right wing exhibited leading edge damage and sections were consumed by fire. The inboard section of the right flap remained attached; the outboard right aileron remained attached at the outboard hinge, but the remainder was consumed by fire. The left wing was impact-separated at the spar box and remained attached at the forward fuselage attach point. Leading edge impact damage and skin separation were noted. Thermal damage was observed on the inboard approximate 5-ft section. The outboard approximate 8-ft section was impact-separated and located near the main wreckage. The vertical stabilizer remained attached; the rudder remained attached. The stabilator remained attached at all points, with the right side deformed in the positive direction. The trim tab remained attached and its control measured near full nose up position.
The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange; all three blades remained attached to the hub with leading edge damage noted.
The engine remained attached to the firewall but was removed for examination. Crankshaft continuity was confirmed from the propeller flange to the accessory section. All cylinders remained attached with thumb compression and suction obtained. No anomalies were noted with valve springs and rocker arms. Valve train continuity was confirmed when the crankshaft was rotated 360°. Both magnetos remained attached but were partially consumed by fire. The oil filter was removed, disassembled, charred, and absent of metallic debris. The oil suction screen was free of debris. The vacuum pump was removed and disassembled; the vanes and rotor remained intact. The composite vacuum drive was consumed by fire.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Office of the Medical Examiner, Nashville, Tennessee, performed autopsies on both pilots. The cause of death for both was multiple blunt force injuries.
Toxicology testing of the flight instructor at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory tested negative for ethanol. Norverapamil was detected in the liver; verapamil was detected in the liver and muscle. Verapamil is a blood pressure medication and norverapamil is its metabolite; the medication is not considered impairing.
Toxicology testing of the pilot detected 11 (mg/dl, mg/hg) ethanol in the spleen, but no ethanol in the muscle, indicating the ethanol was likely produced postmortem. No other drugs were detected in the muscle.