What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23)It was after midnight, and the CE-152 pilot had been waiting several hours for a line of weather to pass so he could begin a night VFR cross-country flight to his home base airport. After learning that VFR flight was not recommended, the recently instrument rated private pilot attempted a night cross-country instrument flight. METAR reports generally showed broken clouds at 1,200 feet abd overcast clouds at 2,400 feet with visibility of 10 miles in light rain. Shortly after entering IMC the pilot reported to the ARTCC controller "my vacuum system is gone I'm disoriented right now". The controller attempted to vector him back to the departure airport approximately 22 minutes and the controller had reverted to no gryo vectoring after the pilot reported several times that he was losing it and having a really hard time. Radar and radio contact was lost after the controller observed the aircraft in a right turn shortly after issuing instructions for a no gyro left turn. The aircraft impacted the ground in a remote unlighted rural area. The energy path measured 550 feet from the initial impact point. Fatal injuries to the private pilot and to the (non-certificated pilot) pas senger. (.4) the pilot received two standard weather briefings for a VFR flight from houston, Texas to arlington, Texas. Both briefers informed the pilot that VFR flight was not recommended near arlington; however, VFR flight would be possible to waco, Texas. The pilot stated during both briefings that he needed to try and make it to arlington. The flight departed houston and diverted to College Station, Texas, due to weather. The flight remained on the ground in College Station for eight hours, during which time the pilot received three weather briefings. During the briefings, the weather briefers attempted to discourage the pilot from attempting the flight due to the en route weather. The pilot again indicated a need to reach his destination by the following morning and, subsequently, filed an IFR flight plan. The flight departed into dark night instrument meteorological conditions and 17 minutes later, the pilot reported to air traffic control (ATC) that the vacuum pump had failed. ATC provided the pilot with radar vectors back to the airport, during which time the pilot indicated that he was having trouble maint aining heading and altitude. Subsequently, ATC commenced a no gyro approach with the pilot. Seven minutes later, the airplane disappeared from radar. Search and rescue was initiated and the airplane was located in a pasture. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical nose down attitude. The pilot was issued an instrument rating on August 18, 2000. He had accumulated a total of 30.4 hours of simulated instrument flight time and 2.5 hours of actual instrument flight time. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would prevent normal operation of the aircraft. The vacuum pump drive shaft was found intact. Rotational scoring was found on components of the attitude indicator, heading indicator and turn and slip indicator.
As the FAA filed it
(-23)IT WAS AFTER MIDNIGHT, AND THE CE-152 PILOT HAD BEEN WAITING SEVERAL HOURS FOR A LINE OF WEATHER TO PASS SO HE COULD BEGIN A NIGHT VFR CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT TO HIS HOME BASE AIRPORT. AFTER LEARNING THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED, THE RECENTLY INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT ATTEMPTED A NIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY INSTRUMENT FLIGHT. METAR REPORTS GENERALLY SHOWED BROKEN CLOUDS AT 1,200 FEET ABD OVERCAST CLOUDS AT 2,400 FEET WITH VISIBILITY OF 10 MILES IN LIGHT RAIN. SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING IMC THE PILOT REPORTED TO THE ARTCC CONTROLLER "MY VACUUM SYSTEM IS GONE I'M DISORIENTED RIGHT NOW". THE CONTROLLER ATTEMPTED TO VECTOR HIM BACK TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT APPROXIMATELY 22 MINUTES AND THE CONTROLLER HAD REVERTED TO NO GRYO VECTORING AFTER THE PILOT REPORTED SEVERAL TIMES THAT HE WAS LOSING IT AND HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME. RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST AFTER THE CONTROLLER OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN A RIGHT TURN SHORTLY AFTER ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS FOR A NO GYRO LEFT TURN. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A REMOTE UNLIGHTED RURAL AREA. THE ENERGY PATH MEASURED 550 FEET FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. FATAL INJURIES TO THE PRIVATE PILOT AND TO THE (NON-CERTIFICATED PILOT) PAS SENGER. (.4) THE PILOT RECEIVED TWO STANDARD WEATHER BRIEFINGS FOR A VFR FLIGHT FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS TO ARLINGTON, TEXAS. BOTH BRIEFERS INFORMED THE PILOT THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED NEAR ARLINGTON; HOWEVER, VFR FLIGHT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO WACO, TEXAS. THE PILOT STATED DURING BOTH BRIEFINGS THAT HE NEEDED TO TRY AND MAKE IT TO ARLINGTON. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED HOUSTON AND DIVERTED TO COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, DUE TO WEATHER. THE FLIGHT REMAINED ON THE GROUND IN COLLEGE STATION FOR EIGHT HOURS, DURING WHICH TIME THE PILOT RECEIVED THREE WEATHER BRIEFINGS. DURING THE BRIEFINGS, THE WEATHER BRIEFERS ATTEMPTED TO DISCOURAGE THE PILOT FROM ATTEMPTING THE FLIGHT DUE TO THE EN ROUTE WEATHER. THE PILOT AGAIN INDICATED A NEED TO REACH HIS DESTINATION BY THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND, SUBSEQUENTLY, FILED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED INTO DARK NIGHT INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND 17 MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT REPORTED TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) THAT THE VACUUM PUMP HAD FAILED. ATC PROVIDED THE PILOT WITH RADAR VECTORS BACK TO THE AIRPORT, DURING WHICH TIME THE PILOT INDICATED THAT HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE MAINT AINING HEADING AND ALTITUDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, ATC COMMENCED A NO GYRO APPROACH WITH THE PILOT. SEVEN MINUTES LATER, THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR. SEARCH AND RESCUE WAS INITIATED AND THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED IN A PASTURE. EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PILOT WAS ISSUED AN INSTRUMENT RATING ON AUGUST 18, 2000. HE HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL OF 30.4 HOURS OF SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME AND 2.5 HOURS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO ANOMALIES THAT WOULD PREVENT NORMAL OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE VACUUM PUMP DRIVE SHAFT WAS FOUND INTACT. ROTATIONAL SCORING WAS FOUND ON COMPONENTS OF THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR, HEADING INDICATOR AND TURN AND SLIP INDICATOR.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.