History of Flight
On August 31, 2020, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-20-135 airplane, registered N7323K, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain near Luray, Virginia. The private pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to a fixed-base operator (FBO) employee at Maryland Airport (2W5) in Indian Head, Maryland, the pilot arrived a day or two before the accident. The pilot was reportedly on a tour of the 48 contiguous United States, having departed from California. On the afternoon of the accident, the pilot discussed his plan to depart for Eastern WV Regional Airport/Shepherd Field (MRB) in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as that state was next on his list. The FBO employee reported that the pilot had been waiting for the weather to clear and was viewing storms on his iPad. The pilot expressed concern about terrain and cloud ceilings. Other pilots at the airport advised against departure. When the FBO employee left at 1800, the pilot had not departed.
Review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data and air traffic control audio showed the airplane departed runway 20 at 2W5 at 1819. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot contacted Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility. Communications were routine; after exiting the DC Special Flight Rules Area, the pilot was given a frequency change. No further communications were received.
At 1858, the airplane was flying westbound and entered a left turn at about 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl) over Shenandoah National Park. Nearby mountainous terrain ranged from 2,000 to 3,500 ft msl. At 1859, the airplane completed a left 360° turn at relatively constant altitude, then continued turning while its altitude rapidly decreased into a descending spiral. The final ADS-B position at 1859:27 recorded the airplane at 2,950 ft msl about ¼ nautical mile east of the accident site.
The wreckage was located by hikers about 1120 on September 2, 2020. No emergency locator transmitter signal was received. According to Leidos Flight Service, no VFR flight plan was filed, and no official weather briefing was requested. However, the pilot had a ForeFlight account. Around departure, he entered a route to MRB; at 1839 and 1843, he revised the destination to Grant County Airport (W99) in Petersburg, West Virginia. The flight track showed a turn toward W99 around 1839.
Pilot Information
According to FAA records, the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on February 8, 2020, with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. A family member reported the pilot had accumulated an estimated 200 hours of flight experience. His logbook was not recovered.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was not equipped with an attitude indicator or any panel-mounted navigation system, nor was it required for day VFR flight. An impact-damaged Stratux ADS-B Dual Band Receiver and SiriusXM receiver were found in the wreckage. According to a user guide, the Stratux receiver can display weather products (METARs, TAFs, NEXRAD radar, AIRMETs, SIGMETs) and support attitude indicator/synthetic vision via applications like ForeFlight. Social media photos from about one month before the accident showed the pilot had mounted an electronic flight bag (EFB) and the ADS-B receiver in the forward windscreen area; one photo showed the attitude indicator and synthetic vision feature in use. The "Pilot's Guide to ForeFlight Mobile" states that the attitude indicator/synthetic vision is for informational purposes and cannot be used as a primary instrument.
Meteorological Conditions
Radar and satellite imagery at the time depicted extensive low and mid-level clouds from the surface through 20,000 ft at the accident site. Light to moderate precipitation was present along the final portions of the flight. Luray Caverns Airport (LUA), about 9 miles west of the accident site, reported at 1855: visibility 7 miles in moderate rain, overcast ceiling at 2,300 ft above ground level (agl), temperature and dew point both 19°C, altimeter 30.01 inches of mercury. Front Royal-Warren County Airport (FRR), 17 miles north, reported over 10 miles visibility with a broken ceiling at 2,000 ft agl. Culpeper Regional Airport (CJR), 22 miles east, reported 10+ miles visibility with an overcast ceiling at 4,800 ft agl. MRB reported instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions before departure, with visibility as low as 1¾ miles in moderate rain and mist. W99 reported overcast ceilings around 3,700 ft agl. AIRMET Sierra was in effect for IFR conditions, precipitation, mist, and mountain obscuration.
Wreckage and Impact Information
An FAA inspector examined the site. The main wreckage lay at the bottom of a steep ravine in heavily wooded terrain at about 2,300 ft msl, scattered in a southerly direction. The cockpit, wings, and fuselage were heavily fragmented. No fire was present. Examination of the airframe and engine at a recovery facility found no preimpact anomalies. Flight control cable continuity was established. The elevator trim jackscrew showed about 8 threads, corresponding to a slight nose-down trim setting. Fuel system components were damaged but clean. The engine crankshaft, camshaft, and connecting rods were continuous. Both magnetos produced spark. Spark plugs showed normal combustion. Oil screens were clean. The two-bladed metal fixed-pitch propeller had separated; one blade was bent forward, the other aft, with S-type bending and leading/trailing edge damage. There was no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure.
Additional Information
Spatial disorientation is defined in FAA literature as a loss of proper bearings or mental confusion as to position relative to the earth. Factors include changes in acceleration, flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), frequent transfer between visual and instrument conditions, and unperceived attitude changes. The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook notes that the vestibular sense can confuse pilots, generating false sensations of attitude change. An autopsy of the pilot determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, and toxicology testing was negative for alcohol and other drugs.