What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot departed kissimmissee airport (ism) in acft privacy data omitted about 1245 on November 14 2023 heading north/norwest to gainesville aiport (gns). About an hour into the flight as the pilot headed west toward gainesville, ADS-B data reflects erratic maneuvers in airspeed, altitude and direction. The pilot reported mayday and stated he could not see anything. The pilot was communicating on the emergency call signal with jax controller. The controller tried to assist the pilot with his location, and heading but the pilot stated his dg was spinning and he lost all instuments and the aircraft continued with erratic movements of altitude, airspeed and direction. The controller lost contact with the pilot and aircraft about 2:10PM and the acft wreckage was located about 650 feet northeast of the last ADS-B data point. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was deceased upon impact. The wreckage indicated the airplane was intact prior to impact and the aircaft engine and propeller impacted the ground about 4 feet. The wreckage spread was minimal and the damage evidenced indicated high speed/high altitude crash. The aircraft records found with the pilot's belongings indicated the privacy data omitted the airplane on October 31, 2023, although the bill of sale or updated registration was not on file with the acft registry. The aircraft logbooks indicated a prebuy inspection was performed on 05/11/2023 which indicated the acft was not certified IFR and noted and the annual inspection was due on October 31 2023. The acft logbooks did not reflect an annual inspection was completed since October 28 2022. Representatives from the NTSB and Piper acft performed a teardown inspection of the wreckage on November 17 2023 and no mechanical discrepancies were noted.
privacy data omitted
Airman records/pilot records reflected the pilot had approx 66 totoal hours hours, which included 1 hours of instrument flights. The pilot also recorded 2 hours of instrument simulator training.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT DEPARTED KISSIMMISSEE AIRPORT (ISM) IN ACFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ABOUT 1245 ON NOVEMBER 14 2023 HEADING NORTH/NORWEST TO GAINESVILLE AIPORT (GNS). ABOUT AN HOUR INTO THE FLIGHT AS THE PILOT HEADED WEST TOWARD GAINESVILLE, ADS-B DATA REFLECTS ERRATIC MANEUVERS IN AIRSPEED, ALTITUDE AND DIRECTION. THE PILOT REPORTED MAYDAY AND STATED HE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING. THE PILOT WAS COMMUNICATING ON THE EMERGENCY CALL SIGNAL WITH JAX CONTROLLER. THE CONTROLLER TRIED TO ASSIST THE PILOT WITH HIS LOCATION, AND HEADING BUT THE PILOT STATED HIS DG WAS SPINNING AND HE LOST ALL INSTUMENTS AND THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED WITH ERRATIC MOVEMENTS OF ALTITUDE, AIRSPEED AND DIRECTION. THE CONTROLLER LOST CONTACT WITH THE PILOT AND AIRCRAFT ABOUT 2:10PM AND THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 650 FEET NORTHEAST OF THE LAST ADS-B DATA POINT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT WAS DECEASED UPON IMPACT. THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THE AIRPLANE WAS INTACT PRIOR TO IMPACT AND THE AIRCAFT ENGINE AND PROPELLER IMPACTED THE GROUND ABOUT 4 FEET. THE WRECKAGE SPREAD WAS MINIMAL AND THE DAMAGE EVIDENCED INDICATED HIGH SPEED/HIGH ALTITUDE CRASH. THE AIRCRAFT RECORDS FOUND WITH THE PILOT'S BELONGINGS INDICATED THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE AIRPLANE ON OCTOBER 31, 2023, ALTHOUGH THE BILL OF SALE OR UPDATED REGISTRATION WAS NOT ON FILE WITH THE ACFT REGISTRY. THE AIRCRAFT LOGBOOKS INDICATED A PREBUY INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED ON 05/11/2023 WHICH INDICATED THE ACFT WAS NOT CERTIFIED IFR AND NOTED AND THE ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS DUE ON OCTOBER 31 2023. THE ACFT LOGBOOKS DID NOT REFLECT AN ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED SINCE OCTOBER 28 2022. REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE NTSB AND PIPER ACFT PERFORMED A TEARDOWN INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE ON NOVEMBER 17 2023 AND NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^
AIRMAN RECORDS/PILOT RECORDS REFLECTED THE PILOT HAD APPROX 66 TOTOAL HOURS HOURS, WHICH INCLUDED 1 HOURS OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHTS. THE PILOT ALSO RECORDED 2 HOURS OF INSTRUMENT SIMULATOR TRAINING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.