History of Flight
On March 1, 2019, at 1921 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182S, N26617, was destroyed when it collided with terrain after takeoff from Triangle North Executive Airport (LHZ) in Louisburg, North Carolina. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot obtained a weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan through a commercial online site at 1819. At 1852, the pilot's truck passed through the airport gate. The pilot received his IFR clearance by telephone before departure, instructing him to depart runway 23, fly a heading of 180°, and climb to 3,000 ft msl. A radar target identified as the accident airplane was acquired at 1920:03 over the runway at 425 ft msl (about 60 ft agl) and 91 knots groundspeed. The airplane maintained runway heading until 1920:56, when it entered a right turn at 1,225 ft msl (about 860 ft agl) and 99 knots. At 1921:02, the airplane reached its top of climb at 1,300 ft msl (about 930 ft agl) while turning. Subsequently, it entered a descending right turn with increasing groundspeed. The last radar target at 1921:17 showed the airplane at 625 ft msl (about 260 ft agl) and 145 knots near the accident site. Interpolation revealed a descent rate of about 6,000 ft per minute. Communication with air traffic control was never established.
Two airport employees witnessed the takeoff. They heard the engine power up but had not noticed the airplane taxi or heard an engine run-up. The airplane's lights were not clearly visible in the fog and had a halo appearance. The engine sound was smooth and continuous during takeoff. The witnesses lost sight of the airplane when it was about 200 to 300 ft above the runway, approximately when it entered clouds. One employee described the weather as "foggy in moderate rain." The other noted "low clouds and a lot of rain" and wondered who would fly in such conditions. Several nearby witnesses reported hearing the airplane flying low overhead, the engine at full throttle, then impact sounds. One stated it was raining so hard that it disabled their satellite television signal.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued February 20, 2018, with 1,270 total flight hours reported. On August 28, 2018, an insurance application declared 1,422 total hours. The pilot obtained his private pilot certificate on January 9, 2013, and added his instrument rating about 15 months later.
A commercial pilot and flight instructor who flew with the accident pilot recreationally and in the Coast Guard Auxiliary described the pilot as "proficient" but a "heavy user" of the autopilot, routinely departing, setting up the autopilot, then contacting air traffic control. Regarding mission planning and risk management for Coast Guard flights, the commercial pilot stated the accident pilot was proficient, but added that the pilot abandoned those practices for personal flying.
The aircraft broker who sold the airplane to the pilot in 2012, also based at LHZ, reported observing the pilot depart VFR into IMC on numerous occasions before the pilot obtained an instrument rating. After the rating, the broker noted the pilot departed in conditions the broker considered challenging for a small single-engine airplane. The broker stated he had cautioned the pilot multiple times about flying VFR into IMC and about overall risk management, but "there was no getting through to him."
Aircraft Information
The airplane, a 1998 Cessna 182S owned by the pilot, had its most recent annual inspection on November 12, 2018, at 3,709 total aircraft hours. It was equipped with Aspen EFD1000 Flight Displays. Research indicated that Aspen Mandatory Service Bulletin SB2018-1 and FAA AD 2019-01-02 were current for these displays but did not apply to this airplane based on installation and configuration. According to the FAA airworthiness inspector, "By not activating the RS-232 ports ADS-B functions were not available," rendering the service bulletin and AD inapplicable.
The flight instructor stated that in July 2018, the flight displays "blanked out" and were hot to the touch during a cross-country flight. Aspen representatives suggested a cooling issue and advised opening cockpit vents; the unit did not malfunction on the return flight. The instructor reported that the pilot/owner said he made numerous warranty claims and had several Aspen components replaced, and installed an air-conditioning system in August 2018 to address avionics cooling. However, Aspen Avionics stated that company records showed no warranty claims or parts shipments to the accident airplane.
Meteorological Information
At 1920, weather at LHZ included scattered clouds at 300 ft, a broken ceiling at 600 ft, an overcast ceiling at 1,100 ft, winds from 020° at 4 knots, visibility 5 statute miles in rain, temperature 4°C, dew point 4°C, and altimeter 30.08 inches of mercury. Weather radar from the Raleigh/Durham WSR-88D, about 21 miles southwest, indicated reflectivity values between 20 and 35 dBZ (light to moderate precipitation) over the accident site, moving west to east.
About one hour before departure, the pilot obtained an online weather briefing from ForeFlight, which included terminal area forecasts for low IFR conditions, AIRMETs for low-level wind shear, and a pilot report for severe turbulence along the route. The pilot did not view any weather imagery or obtain updates before or during the flight.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest partially submerged on the southwest side of a creek about 1.5 miles beyond the departure end of the runway. Angularly cut wood was found below damaged treetops on the northeast bank. The wreckage was destroyed by impact forces with no evidence of pre- or postimpact fire. All major components were accounted for except most of the right wing structure, including the right flap and flap actuator, which were later recovered when creek water receded. Avionics components were examined at the site but not retained due to impact and water immersion damage.
Engine control continuity was confirmed from the instrument panel to the engine. Flight control continuity could not be confirmed due to multiple cable breaks and fractures, all consistent with overload failure. The engine was separated from its mounts but still attached by wires and cables. Two of three propeller blades were recovered, exhibiting similar twisting, bending, and chordwise scratching; one blade had significant leading edge gouging. The crankshaft was manually rotated, and powertrain continuity was confirmed through the accessory section. Valvetrain continuity could not be confirmed due to impact-damaged pushrods. Internal borescope examination showed normal wear and lubrication. Both magnetos produced spark at all terminal leads. No preimpact mechanical anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner listed the pilot's cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol (0.033 gm/dL) and cetirizine (0.0738 µg/mL) in cavity blood specimens; cetirizine was also found in liver specimens. Cetirizine (marketed as Zyrtec) is a sedating over-the-counter antihistamine used for allergies, with a therapeutic range of 0.190–1.450 µg/mL and elimination half-life of 6.5–10 hours. Ethanol is a social drug and central nervous system depressant that impairs judgment, psychomotor functioning, and vigilance. Ethanol can also be produced postmortem by microbial activity.