What happened
During a night flight under instrument meteorological conditions, the pilot of a Cessna was issued a second traffic advisory by air traffic control regarding a DC-10. Shortly after this advisory, the pilot radioed that a deviation was necessary. Radar and performance data indicate that the aircraft began an uncontrolled descent from 3,000 feet immediately following this transmission.
Simulations of the aircraft's performance showed that the pilot's view of the DC-10 shifted across the windscreen, with the larger aircraft appearing to grow rapidly in size. Approximately 13 seconds after the pilot's last transmission, the aircraft entered extreme bank and pitch angles, rolling through 90 degrees and reaching a peak roll of about 150 degrees. Although the aircraft appeared to nearly recover from these attitudes before impact, the aircraft was destroyed upon hitting the ground. The wreckage was spread over a 600-foot area, and investigations confirmed the engine was producing power at the time of impact.
Findings
Investigations determined that there was no evidence of an in-flight collision, structural failure, or engine malfunction. The aircraft was also not subject to wake turbulence from the DC-10, as the flight paths did not intersect in a manner that would allow for such an encounter.
Spatial disorientation is identified as a primary factor due to the night conditions and the lack of a visible horizon between cloud layers. The process of searching for the DC-10, combined with the movement of the larger aircraft as a light source against a dark background, likely contributed to the pilot's loss of orientation. Additionally, the overspeed warning was found to have activated during the descent, consistent with the increasing airspeed and the extreme attitudes experienced by the aircraft.