History of Flight
On July 24, 2018, about 0521 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N38523, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Lincolnton-Lincoln County Regional Airport (IPJ), Lincolnton, North Carolina. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The intended destination was Sheboygan County Memorial Airport (SMB), Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
According to a family member, the pilot stated he planned to attend an air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and intended to leave early for a window of good weather.
Data from the onboard Appareo Stratus 2S unit indicated the airplane departed runway 05 about 0520. About 25 seconds later, the pilot initiated a left turn while climbing. The airplane continued the climbing left turn to about 1,100 ft GPS altitude at 95 knots groundspeed, then descended to about 950 ft GPS altitude and accelerated to 121 knots on an approximate left downwind leg for runway 05. About 0521:10, the airplane was at 1,480 ft GPS altitude and 56 knots groundspeed. It then entered a descending left turn; the final recorded data point showed a GPS altitude of 1,050 ft and a rate of descent greater than 4,000 ft per minute. A witness near the accident site reported hearing a low-flying airplane followed by a thud; he drove to the airport and located the airplane in an open field about half a mile northwest of midfield.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA third-class special issuance medical certificate was issued on June 21, 2017, with limitations requiring glasses for near and intermediate vision, and was not valid after June 30, 2018. The last logbook entry was on December 1, 2017, recording 624.3 total flight hours. As of July 18, 2014, he had accumulated 3.3 hours of simulated instrument time.
Aircraft Information
The six-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane was manufactured in 1977, powered by a Lycoming IO-540, 300-horsepower engine. The most recent annual inspection was completed on July 20, 2018.
Meteorological Information
A review of aviation weather vendors (Leidos AFSS, ForeFlight, and others) revealed that the pilot did not obtain an official weather briefing on the accident day. No flight plan was filed, and what weather information he may have obtained directly before the flight could not be determined. About 18 hours before the accident, the pilot used ForeFlight to view weather models for visibility and precipitation forecasts. At that time, AIRMETs valid for 6 hours would not have been available to the proposed departure time.
At the time of the accident, AIRMET Sierra warned of instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions due to precipitation, mist, and fog. It was issued at 2245 the night before and reissued at 0031 and 0217 the day of the accident.
IPJ weather at 0445: calm wind, 4 statute miles visibility in mist, overcast at 200 ft agl, temperature 21°C, dew point 21°C. At 0505: calm wind, 2 miles visibility in mist, overcast at 200 ft. At 0525: calm wind, 1.5 miles visibility in mist, overcast at 200 ft.
Hickory Regional Airport (HKY), 19 miles northwest, had a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) forecast of 6 miles visibility, mist and showers in vicinity, broken ceiling at 1,500 ft agl between 0200 and 0600, with temporary conditions of broken ceiling at 300 ft and overcast at 1,000 ft.
Astronomical data indicated civil twilight began at 0559.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a shallow impact crater in a grass field. All major components were accounted for. The wreckage path was about 170 ft long, oriented on an 085° magnetic heading. Grass surrounding the path displayed fuel blight.
The fuselage between the engine and main wing spar was fragmented and crushed aft; the instrument panel was heavily damaged. Wing flaps and landing gear were retracted. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The left wing separated and lay parallel to the wreckage; the right wing remained attached with the leading edge crushed aft. The empennage exhibited impact damage to the vertical stabilizer and stabilator.
Engine control levers were full-forward and impact damaged. The engine was removed and suspended for examination. Borescope examination of cylinders showed normal combustion signatures. Manual rotation produced thumb compression on all cylinders. Crankshaft continuity to rear gears and valve train was confirmed. Spark plugs showed normal wear. The dual magneto produced a spark at three of twelve towers; internal examination revealed no pre-impact failures. Fuel injectors, oil pump, and oil filter were debris-free. Fuel selector valve and gascolator were unobstructed. The engine-driven fuel pump was fractured and partially separated; internal valves and diaphragms were undamaged. The vacuum pump rotated freely; carbon rotor and vanes were intact.
The three-bladed Hartzell propeller was found about 50 ft forward; all blades bent aft with chordwise scratching and leading edge gouging; one blade had S-bending.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot performed by the Lincoln County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol; pravastatin (used to treat high cholesterol) was detected and determined not impairing.
Additional Information
The FAA's General Aviation Safety Enhancement Fact Sheet discusses spatial disorientation and optical illusions that may cause loss of aircraft control when visibility is restricted. Various sensory stimuli (visual, vestibular, proprioceptive) can create a sensory mismatch leading to illusions. The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge notes that without visual references, the vestibular system becomes unreliable. The Instrument Procedures Handbook states that the vestibular sense can confuse pilots, creating false sensations. FAA Advisory Circular 61-134 discusses continued VFR flight into IMC as a leading cause of GA accidents and emphasizes the importance of weather information. FAA Advisory Circular 60-22 mentions behavioral traps such as "get-there-itis."