Accident Overview
On November 12, 2020, about 1307 central standard time, a Cessna 182, registration N7306H, was substantially damaged when it impacted power lines and terrain near Rockwall, Texas. The private pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Flight History
The airplane departed Abilene Regional Airport (ABI), Abilene, Texas, about 1139 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The pilot's last communication with air traffic control occurred at 1303 when he canceled the flight plan and proceeded to Rockwall Municipal Airport (F46), Rockwall, Texas.
Review of archived FAA automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data showed that, as the airplane approached F46, it appeared to enter a left downwind leg for runway 35. The traffic pattern indicators as part of the segmented circle indicated a right traffic pattern for runway 35.
Another pilot in the traffic pattern reported that he did not hear the accident pilot make any radio transmissions on the airport's common traffic advisory frequency. This pilot stated that he made an announcement that runway 17 was in use but received no response.
A helicopter pilot hovering over a taxiway stated that he heard the accident pilot announce that his airplane was 10 miles away and that he intended to land on runway 35. The helicopter pilot told the accident pilot that runway 17 was in use, but no acknowledgment or reply was received. The accident pilot announced shortly afterward that his airplane was on a 3-mile final for runway 35. The helicopter pilot repeated that runway 17 was in use, and again, no reply was received.
Multiple surveillance cameras around F46 captured the accident sequence. A first camera near the runway 35 threshold showed the airplane about 10 ft over the runway surface without appearing to touch down. A second camera on the northwest side of the runway captured the airplane after cresting the sloped runway; it appeared to have touched down. A third camera showed that shortly after passing the segmented circle, smoke from the main landing gear wheels briefly appeared. Immediately afterward, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway, descended toward lower terrain, then ascended slightly. The airplane appeared nose-high before the left wing impacted power lines located about 440 ft north of the departure end. Subsequently, the airplane spiraled to the ground and impacted in a right-wing-low attitude.
Meteorological Information
At 1255 CST, the automated weather observing system (AWOS) reported wind from 290° at 6 knots. About 12 minutes later, surveillance videos showed windsocks at different positions depicting more southerly wind. The day after the accident, a maintenance technician found that the AWOS crossarm was misaligned due to a missing mounting screw, estimated to cause a 30° to 40° westward difference in reported wind direction. This would change the perceived headwind into an actual tailwind.
Annual maintenance of the AWOS on October 22, 2020, showed the item "verification of wind direction" was marked with a line through an adjacent box, but available evidence did not indicate how long the crossarm had been misaligned.
Wreckage and Impact
Postaccident examination revealed that the right wing had separated into two pieces lying on the left side of the airplane. The left wing was flat on the ground with wire strike marks on the outboard 2 ft of its leading edge. Both main wheels had no flat spots. Flight control continuity was established to ailerons, elevators, and rudder. Flaps were found retracted. Cylinder compression and rotational continuity throughout the engine and valve train were confirmed. Left and right magnetos produced spark on connected ignition leads. No mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation were found.