What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On March 14, 2019, at 1815 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N6075Q, departed controlled flight and collided with mountainous terrain near Cashiers, north carolina. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. Day instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the personal flight which was conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations part 91. The flight departed knoxville downtown island airport (dkx), knoxville, Tennessee, at 1724, and was enroute to aiken regional airport (aik), aiken, south carolina.
Preliminary information obtained from the federal aviation administration (FAA) and a commercial vendor revealed that the pilot obtained a weather briefing the night before the flight. He filed his IFR flight plan through a commercial service on the day of the accident. After departure the airplane was observed on radar climbing and on course to aik. While in cruise flight the pilot reported to air traffic control that he had "lost his attitude indicator" and was unable to maintain course and attitude. Radar contact and radio communication was lost shortly after.
The pilot, age 59, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. He held an faa-issued second-class medical certificate with no limitations. The pilot reported that his flight experience included 1,957.9 total flight hours and 14.8 hours in the last six months on his most-recent medical examination application, dated July 24, 2018. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that he had accumulated 279 flight hours in actual instrument conditions. The logbook also revealed that from June 2017 to December 2018 the pilot had accumulated 8 flight hours of actual instrument flight time. He recorded 1,662 total hours of experience in the accident airplane make and model.
The wreckage was located in mountainous, forested terrain in a debris field that was spread out 50 ft in circumference. The tops of the trees immediately surrounding the ground impact site were damaged. The fuselage came to rest inverted with the nose of the airplane pointing down vertically on a 60 heading magnetic at an elevation of 3,892 ft. all major components and control surfaces were accounted for at the accident site. Various parts of the airplane were littered through the treetops and the wreckage debris field. Flight control continuity could not be confirmed due to multiple push/pull tube breaks and fractures. All breaks and fractures exhibited signatures consistent with overload failure.
As the FAA filed it
ON MARCH 14, 2019, AT 1815 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A MOONEY M20C, N6075Q, DEPARTED CONTROLLED FLIGHT AND COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN NEAR CASHIERS, NORTH CAROLINA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. DAY INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR) FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WHICH WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN ISLAND AIRPORT (DKX), KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, AT 1724, AND WAS ENROUTE TO AIKEN REGIONAL AIRPORT (AIK), AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA.
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) AND A COMMERCIAL VENDOR REVEALED THAT THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FLIGHT. HE FILED HIS IFR FLIGHT PLAN THROUGH A COMMERCIAL SERVICE ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. AFTER DEPARTURE THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR CLIMBING AND ON COURSE TO AIK. WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT THE PILOT REPORTED TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT HE HAD "LOST HIS ATTITUDE INDICATOR" AND WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN COURSE AND ATTITUDE. RADAR CONTACT AND RADIO COMMUNICATION WAS LOST SHORTLY AFTER.
THE PILOT, AGE 59, HELD A COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH RATINGS FOR AIRPLANE SINGLE-ENGINE LAND, AND INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE. HE HELD AN FAA-ISSUED SECOND-CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WITH NO LIMITATIONS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HIS FLIGHT EXPERIENCE INCLUDED 1,957.9 TOTAL FLIGHT HOURS AND 14.8 HOURS IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS ON HIS MOST-RECENT MEDICAL EXAMINATION APPLICATION, DATED JULY 24, 2018. A REVIEW OF THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK REVEALED THAT HE HAD ACCUMULATED 279 FLIGHT HOURS IN ACTUAL INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS. THE LOGBOOK ALSO REVEALED THAT FROM JUNE 2017 TO DECEMBER 2018 THE PILOT HAD ACCUMULATED 8 FLIGHT HOURS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME. HE RECORDED 1,662 TOTAL HOURS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE MAKE AND MODEL.
THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED IN MOUNTAINOUS, FORESTED TERRAIN IN A DEBRIS FIELD THAT WAS SPREAD OUT 50 FT IN CIRCUMFERENCE. THE TOPS OF THE TREES IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING THE GROUND IMPACT SITE WERE DAMAGED. THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST INVERTED WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE POINTING DOWN VERTICALLY ON A 60 HEADING MAGNETIC AT AN ELEVATION OF 3,892 FT. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS AND CONTROL SURFACES WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. VARIOUS PARTS OF THE AIRPLANE WERE LITTERED THROUGH THE TREETOPS AND THE WRECKAGE DEBRIS FIELD. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED DUE TO MULTIPLE PUSH/PULL TUBE BREAKS AND FRACTURES. ALL BREAKS AND FRACTURES EXHIBITED SIGNATURES CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD FAILURE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N6075Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.