Accident Overview
On the morning of the accident, a positioning flight operated by Oz Gas Aviation LLC was substantially damaged when it struck a communications tower near Morgantown, West Virginia. The certificated airline transport pilot, the sole occupant on board, was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a filed flight plan.
Flight Sequence
The airplane had earlier departed from Rigrtona Airport (13PA), Tidioute, Pennsylvania, at 0924 with the pilot and three passengers on board. After landing at Nemacolin Airport (PA88), Farmington, Pennsylvania, on runway 23 at 0944, the pilot parked, shut down both engines, and deplaned the passengers. He informed them he would return the following day. Following the passengers' departure via shuttle bus, the pilot restarted the engines, idled for approximately 2 minutes, and back-taxied on runway 23 for takeoff at 0957. The intended flight was a 19-nautical-mile positioning trip to Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW) for refueling and an overnight stay.
In-Flight Events
After departing PA88, the airplane climbed to 3,100 feet above mean sea level (msl) on an approximate direct heading to MGW. The pilot contacted Clarksburg Approach Control and received a discrete transponder code of 0130. When the aircraft was approximately nine miles east of Morgantown airport, the air traffic controller advised the pilot of radar contact. The airplane then descended to 3,000 feet, and approximately one minute later struck the communications tower on an approximate magnetic heading of 240 degrees.
Witness Observations
A witness cutting timber near the accident site reported that the weather was cloudy with lightning and thunder, and it had just started "sprinkling." He heard a loud "bang," turned, and observed the airplane descending upside down before impacting the ground. Approximately 20 minutes after the impact, the "sprinkling" stopped. The witness noted that the top of the tower remained visible during the precipitation.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause of the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight route planning and in-flight route and altitude selection, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a communications tower in possible instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's improper use of the enhanced ground proximity warning system's terrain inhibit switch and the air traffic controller's failure to issue a safety alert regarding the proximity of the tower.