History of Flight
On February 1, 2019, at about 1315 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registration N3016L, lost radar contact over the Atlantic Ocean. The private pilot and passenger were presumed fatally injured, and the airplane was presumed destroyed. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The airplane departed Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), West Palm Beach, Florida, under visual flight rules around 1300. Shortly after, the pilot obtained an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance to Leonard M. Thompson International Airport (MYAM), Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas. Air traffic control provided vectors to avoid precipitation and cleared the airplane to higher altitudes.
About 1305, the controller directed the pilot to fly heading 080° to avoid weather, describing an area of light and moderate precipitation at the pilot's eleven o'clock position, 10 miles ahead. Two minutes later, the controller instructed a 10° right turn to stay clear of the precipitation.
At about 1309, the controller asked for another 10° right turn. The pilot acknowledged and reported, "I don't know what happened my autopilot it just kicked off." The controller cleared the pilot to climb to 6,000 ft, which the pilot repeated.
By 1310, the controller noted the airplane was not on the correct heading and instructed another 10° right turn. The pilot replied he was "really fighting" to maintain heading. A minute later, the controller observed the airplane had turned south and offered assistance. The pilot responded, "it's just really squirrelly up here it's weird."
At 1312, the pilot reported "really weird winds up here." The controller noted the airplane was turning north toward heavier precipitation and instructed a turn south to "any heading." The pilot stated the autopilot was problematic and he would turn it off and fly manually.
Around 1313, the controller advised the airplane was heading eastbound and instructed to maintain 6,000 ft. The controller also indicated he would inform the center controller about the autopilot issue.
At about 1314, the controller reported the airplane had turned northwest and asked if the pilot would return east. The pilot responded that he was "fine," his instruments were "acting really goofy," and he would head to 090°. The controller instructed the airplane to maintain 6,000 ft and no higher than 7,000 ft. The pilot did not respond.
Shortly thereafter, the airplane entered a sharp right turn from a northerly heading and began to descend. Radar tracking showed the turn steepening as the airplane rapidly descended, and radar contact was lost around 1315 in an area depicting heavy precipitation.
The United States Coast Guard searched 1,115 square miles by air and sea with no success. After 36 hours, the search was suspended on February 3, 2019.
Personnel Information
The pilot's personal logbook was not recovered, so his total instrument flight experience and recency could not be determined.
Meteorological Information
The pilot received a weather briefing through Leidos Flight Service at 1200. The briefer provided the convective outlook, Center Weather Advisory, METARs, and winds aloft. The pilot asked about a line of weather off the coast and said he would fly south of it if it moved north. The briefer responded the line was "just sitting there." The pilot mentioned he "saw that one little red blob out there."
Cloud tops over the accident site were approximately 16,000 ft msl. A National Weather Service composite radar mosaic for 1315 at the accident location showed reflectivity values of 35 to 55 dBZ, indicating moderate to heavy precipitation. Radar data showed the airplane first entered precipitation between 1303 and 1309, with reflectivity of 30 to 50 dBZ. The bands moved from south to north.
The Center Weather Advisory valid at the accident time warned of areas of moderate rain showers and isolated thunderstorms with heavy precipitation and tops to 28,000 ft.
Additional Information
The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute defines spatial disorientation as a loss of proper bearings or mental confusion regarding position, location, or movement relative to the earth. Contributing factors include changes in acceleration, flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), frequent transfer between visual and instrument conditions, and unperceived changes in aircraft attitude.
The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook notes that the vestibular sense can confuse the pilot, as the inner ear may not detect slight or uniform attitude changes and can generate false sensations, leading to spatial disorientation.