What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
This accident may have been the result of excessive nose down elevator trim.
Based on interviews with several pilots who had flown with the accident pilot three days prior, and powell avionics (the avionics shop for which the pilot was waiting to repair his "ahrs fail" amber warning light), it is likely that 1) the accident pilot was not night current, 2) the accident pilot was not comfortable hand-flying his aircraft, and 3) the accident aircraft had an "ahrs fail" amber warning light which had not yet been repaired, and which would cause the autopilot not to engage.
However, it is not known if these factors directly caused the accident, or not.
On his downwind leg, the accident pilot reported to fayetteville tower difficulty controlling the aircraft, stating that it was requiring "an awful lot of control wheel weight." He also reported, "it's wanting to pitch down bad," which was his last transmission prior to crash.
The aircraft crashed into a neighborhood several miles short of the airport, killing himself, someone on the ground, seriously injuring another, and destroying their shared residence. The aircraft descended into the crash site at approximately a 35-45 degree angle of descent, leaving the residence and his aircraft destroyed in a significant number of different pieces throughout the crash site and underneath the wreckage of the residence. Though there was no post-crash fire, reports from pilots who had flown with him recently, fueling records, and the audio from the pilot's flight do not indicate fuel starvation was likely. There was a faint smell of fuel at the crash site.
The investigation revealed that the elevator trim was in the full nose-down position. This concurs with the pilot's reports on the audio from his accident flight, however, it is not known for certain if this is related to the possible ahrs fail light or the pilot's possible lack of night currency. It is not known at the time of this report whether the elevator trim malfunctioned on its own or as a result of pilot error. What is probable through interviews with powell avionics is that the pilot left the avionics shop that afternoon knowing that the shop had not had an opportunity to begin repairs on the "ahrs fail" light on his aspen. If the ahrs fail light was illuminated, it would have been an amber warning, and it only should have prevented the autopilot from engaging. It should not have led to incorrect readings on the flight instruments. Block 42 was selected as "airworthiness" because there was a probable mechanical discrepancy (the ahrs fail warning light), but it is undetermined at this time if that was a contributing factor, or if pilot error was the likely cause of the crash.
As the FAA filed it
THIS ACCIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF EXCESSIVE NOSE DOWN ELEVATOR TRIM.
BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH SEVERAL PILOTS WHO HAD FLOWN WITH THE ACCIDENT PILOT THREE DAYS PRIOR, AND POWELL AVIONICS (THE AVIONICS SHOP FOR WHICH THE PILOT WAS WAITING TO REPAIR HIS "AHRS FAIL" AMBER WARNING LIGHT), IT IS LIKELY THAT 1) THE ACCIDENT PILOT WAS NOT NIGHT CURRENT, 2) THE ACCIDENT PILOT WAS NOT COMFORTABLE HAND-FLYING HIS AIRCRAFT, AND 3) THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT HAD AN "AHRS FAIL" AMBER WARNING LIGHT WHICH HAD NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED, AND WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE AUTOPILOT NOT TO ENGAGE.
HOWEVER, IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THESE FACTORS DIRECTLY CAUSED THE ACCIDENT, OR NOT.
ON HIS DOWNWIND LEG, THE ACCIDENT PILOT REPORTED TO FAYETTEVILLE TOWER DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE AIRCRAFT, STATING THAT IT WAS REQUIRING "AN AWFUL LOT OF CONTROL WHEEL WEIGHT." HE ALSO REPORTED, "IT'S WANTING TO PITCH DOWN BAD," WHICH WAS HIS LAST TRANSMISSION PRIOR TO CRASH.
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD SEVERAL MILES SHORT OF THE AIRPORT, KILLING HIMSELF, SOMEONE ON THE GROUND, SERIOUSLY INJURING ANOTHER, AND DESTROYING THEIR SHARED RESIDENCE. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO THE CRASH SITE AT APPROXIMATELY A 35-45 DEGREE ANGLE OF DESCENT, LEAVING THE RESIDENCE AND HIS AIRCRAFT DESTROYED IN A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PIECES THROUGHOUT THE CRASH SITE AND UNDERNEATH THE WRECKAGE OF THE RESIDENCE. THOUGH THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE, REPORTS FROM PILOTS WHO HAD FLOWN WITH HIM RECENTLY, FUELING RECORDS, AND THE AUDIO FROM THE PILOT'S FLIGHT DO NOT INDICATE FUEL STARVATION WAS LIKELY. THERE WAS A FAINT SMELL OF FUEL AT THE CRASH SITE.
THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ELEVATOR TRIM WAS IN THE FULL NOSE-DOWN POSITION. THIS CONCURS WITH THE PILOT'S REPORTS ON THE AUDIO FROM HIS ACCIDENT FLIGHT, HOWEVER, IT IS NOT KNOWN FOR CERTAIN IF THIS IS RELATED TO THE POSSIBLE AHRS FAIL LIGHT OR THE PILOT'S POSSIBLE LACK OF NIGHT CURRENCY. IT IS NOT KNOWN AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT WHETHER THE ELEVATOR TRIM MALFUNCTIONED ON ITS OWN OR AS A RESULT OF PILOT ERROR. WHAT IS PROBABLE THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH POWELL AVIONICS IS THAT THE PILOT LEFT THE AVIONICS SHOP THAT AFTERNOON KNOWING THAT THE SHOP HAD NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN REPAIRS ON THE "AHRS FAIL" LIGHT ON HIS ASPEN. IF THE AHRS FAIL LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN AMBER WARNING, AND IT ONLY SHOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE AUTOPILOT FROM ENGAGING. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE LED TO INCORRECT READINGS ON THE FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS. BLOCK 42 WAS SELECTED AS "AIRWORTHINESS" BECAUSE THERE WAS A PROBABLE MECHANICAL DISCREPANCY (THE AHRS FAIL WARNING LIGHT), BUT IT IS UNDETERMINED AT THIS TIME IF THAT WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR, OR IF PILOT ERROR WAS THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE CRASH.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.