History of Flight
On May 28, 2019, at 2355 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registration N3933T, was destroyed in an accident near Auburn Township, Ohio. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot departed Cincinnati Lunken Airport (LUK) about 2209, with a destination of Geauga County Airport (7G8) in Middlefield, Ohio. No communications with air traffic control were recorded. Radar data showed the airplane flying northeasterly toward 7G8. At 2354:41, about 9.6 nautical miles from the airport at 2,525 ft msl and 136 knots ground speed, it turned left to the north-northwest toward LaDue Reservoir. At 2355:21, over the southeast bank of the reservoir at 2,300 ft msl and 129 knots, it entered a steep, descending right turn. Radar data ended at 2355:31 with a heading of 104°, altitude 1,300 ft msl, and ground speed 169 knots.
The pilot's girlfriend reported that she and her daughter had been camping with the pilot in Kentucky before the accident. She drove home near 7G8 while the pilot flew her daughter to LUK for a commercial flight. The pilot landed at LUK about 1800, and his departure was delayed by weather. He texted her at 2209 that he was en route with an estimated arrival of 2330. About 16 minutes after departure, he sent a picture of the instrument panel showing the airplane level at 5,400 ft msl, heading 055°, with normal engine gauges, manifold pressure 23 inches, tachometer 2,330 rpm, and fuel gauges indicating right tank slightly below full and left tank full. At 2226, he asked about weather; she replied with thunder and rain. He did not respond to further texts.
A witness walking dogs around midnight heard an aircraft flying south to north toward the reservoir. The engine sounded erratic, like sputtering, and the witness described it as "definitely an erratic engine sound." He shone a spotlight and noted an "extremely low cloud deck." He then heard a loud thud/boom, which he and his wife thought was thunder. The crash was discovered the next day.
Pilot Information
The pilot received his private pilot certificate on March 24, 2019. He had 3.7 hours of simulated instrument time and 11.8 hours of night flying. He did not hold an instrument rating.
Meteorological Information
The closest weather reporting station was Portage County Airport (POV), Ravenna, Ohio, about 12 miles south of the accident site. At 2355, conditions were calm wind, visibility 7 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 ft agl, temperature 18°C, dew point 17°C, altimeter 29.76 in Hg. At 0015, conditions were calm wind, visibility 1 1/4 miles, scattered clouds at 200 ft and 4,800 ft agl, temperature 18°C, dew point 17°C, altimeter 29.76 in Hg.
The National Weather Service had issued AIRMET Sierra for IFR conditions and AIRMET Tango for moderate turbulence from the surface to 15,000 ft, both valid over the area at the time. The pilot filed a VFR flight plan via the Garmin pilot application but did not request weather or route briefings from Leidos or ForeFlight. Beyond a weather radar screenshot sent to his girlfriend, it is unknown what weather information he accessed. At the time, both sun and moon were more than 15° below the horizon, providing no illumination.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane came to rest in heavily wooded terrain on the southeast bank of LaDue Reservoir, about 8 miles southwest of 7G8. Initial impact was with a 70- to 80-ft-tall tree. Impact marks on trees became progressively lower along a heading of 133°, and the airplane impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude. The distance from initial impact to the engine was about 270 ft. The airplane was heavily fragmented; outboard sections of both wings, the tail, instrument panel, engine, and propeller were along the wreckage path. The largest debris piece was a fuselage section containing front and rear seats. No postimpact fire occurred.
Flaps and landing gear were fully retracted. The stabilator trim actuator was in the full nose-down position. Flight control cables for all major controls were broken with broom-straw fractures, consistent with overstress. Both wing fuel tanks were breached; finger screens were debris-free. The fuel selector was found selected to the right tank. The gascolator and electric fuel pump were separated; the pump functioned when powered. The engine-driven fuel pump was impact-damaged and could not be tested. The fuel servo was impact-damaged but diaphragms were intact; the manifold contained no fuel. The oil filter was debris-free.
The engine sustained impact damage: No. 2 cylinder partially separated, No. 4 cylinder slightly displaced and missing rocker cover. Spark plugs appeared normal (light gray). Borescope showed mud and dirt but no internal damage except to pistons and valves. Manual rotation was inhibited by debris, but valve train movement was observed on cylinders except No. 2. Compression was strong on Nos. 1 and 3, weak on No. 4 due to impact. One magneto produced spark; the other was untestable due to damage. The vacuum pump drum was fractured but vanes intact.
The two-bladed propeller separated from the crankshaft; both blades remained on the hub. One blade was bent forward about 70° at mid-span with leading edge gouging; the other was bent forward at the hub with a curled tip and some gouging. Slash marks consistent with propeller rotation were on trees near the initial ground impact, with one slash extending halfway through a 12-inch-wide tree. The propeller governor was impact-damaged. No mechanical issues were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma. The pilot had 95% narrowing of the left anterior descending coronary artery and 90% narrowing of the left circumflex coronary artery; the right coronary artery could not be evaluated. A 4 x 2 x 1.5 cm area of white fibrosis on the posterior left ventricle was consistent with a scar from a previous heart attack. No other significant natural disease was identified. Toxicology tests at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory were negative for all tested drugs.