History of Flight
On December 8, 2021, at approximately 1957 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-140 airplane, registration N3865K, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Houston, Texas. The student pilot and a passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Radar and ADS-B data showed the airplane departed West Houston Airport (IWS) about 1955 and proceeded generally south-southwest. About 1.5 miles into the flight, the track indicated a slight descending left turn with increasing groundspeed, followed by a tighter climbing right turn with decreasing groundspeed. Approximately 2.5 miles southwest of the departure runway end, the airplane executed a tight left descending turn toward the northeast, then immediately a hard right descending turn back to the southwest. The descent rate increased until radar contact was lost at about 700 ft above ground level. No witnesses were reported.
Personnel Information
The student pilot had received flight training for about a year and logged approximately 38 hours of flight experience, all in a Cessna 172. He had completed all solo requirements and had 4 hours of night flight experience toward a private pilot certificate, but had not finished all required training solely by reference to instruments. Before the accident, the pilot contacted his flight instructor twice about training in the accident airplane, but the instructor had never seen the aircraft and was unaware if the pilot received instruction from others.
Aircraft Information
The pilot purchased the accident airplane on November 30, 2021. It arrived at IWS on December 3 and was filled with about 40 gallons of 100LL Avgas on December 4. The pilot flew the airplane for about 20 minutes on December 5 and again on the accident flight on December 8. The airplane's maintenance logbooks were not recovered.
Meteorological Information
National Weather Service surface analysis charts for 1800 and 2100 depicted a stationary warm front over Texas with a high-pressure ridge. Warm, moist southeasterly advection from the Gulf of Mexico supported low stratiform clouds and fog. Station models showed overcast clouds and fog/mist expanding over the Texas gulf coast, with temperature-dew point spreads of 4°F or less. A 12-hour Low-Level Significant Weather Prognostic Chart for 0000 indicated extensive IFR and marginal VFR conditions along the Texas gulf coast. Nearby airport observations reported prevailing IFR conditions due to low ceilings and visibility restricted in mist. The High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model over the accident site for 2000 suggested a ceiling near 500 ft agl with tops near 2,000 ft. Satellite imagery showed stratified clouds with tops near 3,000 ft; pilot reports indicated cloud tops between 3,000 and 3,200 ft. No turbulence, icing, or low-level wind shear was reported. There was no record of the pilot receiving a preflight weather briefing. According to his flight instructor, he was familiar with obtaining weather information and interpreting METARs, TAFs, and AIRMETs.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a wooded area about 2.5 miles southwest of the departure end of the runway. The debris path was about 50 ft long on a heading of 320°. The first identified point of impact was two trees; about 10 ft past them, a fragment of outboard right wing remained wrapped around a tree. Along the path were a narrow series of cut trees, each topped slightly closer to the ground toward a large impact crater in soft dirt. Scattered around the tree bases were fragments of the right wing, main landing gear, and vertical stabilizer with rudder attached. The crater measured about 2.5 ft deep by 5 ft long and contained the propeller assembly, starter ring gear, a spark plug fragment, and other engine fragments. Engine cowling, right side door, and various instruments/radios were nearby. The main wreckage, comprising all major components, came to rest just beyond the crater, nose-low with the tail extended upward. The engine was completely separated and came to rest near the empennage. The firewall, instrument panel, and cabin sustained extensive damage.
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The left wing remained attached at the spar and was fractured about mid-span; the fuel cap was secured but the tank was breached with no fuel noted. The outboard left wing leading edge showed extensive aft crushing. The right wing was fractured into several pieces with circular tree indent and aft crush damage. The inboard right wing came to rest near the fuselage; its fuel cap was secured but the tank was breached. The aft fuselage sustained downward accordion crushing with a large circular indentation consistent with tree contact. The stabilator remained attached; the vertical stabilizer and rudder were fracture-separated with a large circular tree impact. Flight control system cables/chains remained attached at their surfaces, with all fractures consistent with overload.
No visual indications of catastrophic engine failure were found. The propeller assembly was fracture-separated; the crankshaft flange was bent. The No. 1 cylinder head was fractured; push rods and upper spark plug were fracture-separated. Remaining upper spark plugs were removed and consistent with normal operation. Magnetos remained attached; the right magneto sustained impact damage and would not rotate; the left magneto produced spark on all points. Borescope examination of piston heads, cylinder walls, valves, and lower spark plugs indicated normal operation. The engine was rotated by hand; drivetrain continuity was established, and thumb compression was obtained on all four cylinders.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound of cannabis, in the pilot's heart blood at 1.4 ng/mL; THC was not detected in urine. The primary metabolite 11-hydroxy-delta-9-THC (11-OH-THC) was detected in urine at 11 ng/mL but not in heart blood. The inactive metabolite carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) was detected in heart blood at 2.7 ng/mL and urine at 26.5 ng/mL.
Cannabinoids in marijuana can affect motor behavior, time and space perception, and cognition. THC is rapidly metabolized; blood and urine test results do not necessarily reflect recent use and cannot always prove impairment at the time of testing.