What happened
On November 22, 2019, at approximately 1838 mountain standard time, a Grumman AA-5B, registration N310PD, was destroyed following an accident near Jackpot, Nevada. The flight was a personal operation under 14 CFR Part 91, departing from Jackpot Airport (06U) for a cross-country flight.
According to GPS data, the aircraft began its takeoff roll on runway 15 at 1837:07 and lifted off near midfield. The data track ended at 1837:54, showing the aircraft at 250 feet above ground level with a groundspeed of 95 knots while maintaining the runway heading. A witness observed the aircraft depart runway 15 and perform a left turn at an unusually low altitude, followed by a loud explosion and a fire.
The aircraft came to rest inverted in a hay field approximately 1/4 nautical mile east of the departure end of runway 15. The wreckage was fragmented and largely consumed by a post-crash fire. The pilot and passenger sustained 2 fatal injuries.
The investigation
Mechanical examination of the engine showed no evidence of catastrophic failure. The crankshaft could be manually rotated, and all four cylinders showed normal operation. The propeller blades exhibited damage consistent with the forces of impact.
Investigators examined the flight controls and found the elevator trim jackscrew in a full nose-down position. Mechanics noted that this position would have created significant resistance for the pilot during takeoff. The flap jackscrew was found in the full retracted position.
Meteorological analysis revealed that while the pilot had performed nighttime departures from this airport previously, those flights occurred under much brighter lunar conditions. On the night of the accident, the moon was in a waning crescent phase with only 16.1% illumination and was not visible above the horizon. The area lacked significant cultural lighting to provide visual references.
Findings
- The pilot was noninstrument-rated and lacked experience in night operations.
- Visual references were extremely limited due to the lack of moonlight and minimal ground lighting.
- The pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation during a climbing left turn, which was a standard maneuver used to avoid a 200-foot plateau beyond the runway.
- This disorientation led to an inadvertent descent and impact with the terrain.