# Accident 20151009017489A: Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG, Erwin, TN, October 9, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 9, 2015, 19:15 local time
- Place: Erwin, TN
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.2100° N, 82.3750° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2100&lon=-82.3750&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1058S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1058S-2018-07-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41-550FG (registry code 5150011, https://openairdocs.org/model/columbia-aircraft-mfg-lc41-550fg) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT MFG LC41-550FG
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-550-C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 300 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA16FA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16FA006) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20151009017489A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED IFR FROM TYS (TYSON MCGEE, KNOXVILLE TN) ENROUTE TO BMG ( MONROE COUNTY AIRPORT, BLOOMINGTON INDIANA). THE ENROUTE WEATHER WAS REPORTING A LINE OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS, SO THE PILOT REQUESTED A DEVIATION FROM HIS FLIGHT TO HEAD DIRECT EAST. ATC LOST CONTACT WITH N1085S AT 2318Z, 17000 FEET AND THE AIRCRAFT ALTITUDE STARTED TO DESCEND 900 FEET THEN WENT FROM 16100 FEET TO 5700 IN LESS THAN 40 SECONDS. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED BUFFALO MOUNTAIN IN THE CHEROKEE NATIONAL PARK. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED 3 HOURS LATER BY THE SHERIFF HELICOPTER WITH NO SURVIVORS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED FOLLOWING AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP,SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE GROUND AND WAS CONSUMED BY A POST-IMPACT FIRE.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: THE PILOT WAS IFR RATED AND ADVISED BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT HIS DIRECTION OF FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA16FA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16FA006), Oct 9, 2015: Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41 550FG (N1058S), Erwin, TN, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to fly into a known area of adverse weather, which resulted in the airplane entering a severe thunderstorm and a subsequent loss of control.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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