What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Weather consisted of drizzle/misty mixture, heavy fog and low clouds. Upon arriving the Virginia state trooper gave me the accident pilot's ipad which was thrown from the aircraft. Wreckage was found in a heavily wooded area with mature trees reaching approximately 80 feet high. I examined the debris field and began taking photographs. Aircraft appeared to impact several trees in A15-20 degree downward slope. The aircraft was positioned flat on its belly. The accident pilot was found approximately in the location of the front left seat in a FAR reclined position.
Aircraft fuselage was destroyed by post-crash fire. Instrument panel and instruments were destroyed by post-crash fire. Engine compartment was severely compromised by post-crash fire. Empennage and immediate fuselage area was not destroyed by fire. ELT beacon appeared to be operational. Large windshield sections were found in front of the wreckage; a large windshield section was found aft-left of the fuselage. Two blade aircraft propeller was found partially buried. The unburied section was belt forward at a 5-6 degree angle. It did not have hard impact damage. The propeller did not reveal immediate evidence of operation when it impacted the ground.
NTSB investigator found evidence of tree limbs/branches cut at an angle consistent with propeller impact while under power. This evidence showed the engine was operational during the crash sequence. The engine was recovered from the accident site and evaluated by Lycoming. The airframe wreckage was evaluated by Textron. Nothing of note was found to be a contributing factor.
Aircraft logbook records were in the aircraft at the time of the accident. Some entries were legible, however, they were badly burned. Aircraft records were reproduced with logbook entries from the part 43 repair facility that performed the annual and the part 145 repair station that performed the 91.411 & 91.413 checks. From the records available, the aircraft appeared to have met the regulatory requirements.
During the investigation process an individual came forward with footage from a camera positioned on a pole facing the direction of the accident. Footage showed very low cloud coverage, heavy fog and misty weather. Audio from the video confirmed the engine was operational at the time of the accident. Three separate impacts can be heard with a final explosion sound. The aircraft was not visible throughout the video; however, the final impact is visible via explosion/fire. Adsb data last reported the aircraft was traveling at 100KTS.
The NTSB and I have concluded the accident was controlled flight into terrain. Textron, Lycoming, NTSB, and I evaluated the airframe, propeller, and engine. They are not believed to have been unairworthy prior to the flight.
As the FAA filed it
WEATHER CONSISTED OF DRIZZLE/MISTY MIXTURE, HEAVY FOG AND LOW CLOUDS. UPON ARRIVING THE VIRGINIA STATE TROOPER GAVE ME THE ACCIDENT PILOT'S IPAD WHICH WAS THROWN FROM THE AIRCRAFT. WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA WITH MATURE TREES REACHING APPROXIMATELY 80 FEET HIGH. I EXAMINED THE DEBRIS FIELD AND BEGAN TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS. AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO IMPACT SEVERAL TREES IN A15-20 DEGREE DOWNWARD SLOPE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS POSITIONED FLAT ON ITS BELLY. THE ACCIDENT PILOT WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY IN THE LOCATION OF THE FRONT LEFT SEAT IN A FAR RECLINED POSITION.
AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE WAS DESTROYED BY POST-CRASH FIRE. INSTRUMENT PANEL AND INSTRUMENTS WERE DESTROYED BY POST-CRASH FIRE. ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS SEVERELY COMPROMISED BY POST-CRASH FIRE. EMPENNAGE AND IMMEDIATE FUSELAGE AREA WAS NOT DESTROYED BY FIRE. ELT BEACON APPEARED TO BE OPERATIONAL. LARGE WINDSHIELD SECTIONS WERE FOUND IN FRONT OF THE WRECKAGE; A LARGE WINDSHIELD SECTION WAS FOUND AFT-LEFT OF THE FUSELAGE. TWO BLADE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER WAS FOUND PARTIALLY BURIED. THE UNBURIED SECTION WAS BELT FORWARD AT A 5-6 DEGREE ANGLE. IT DID NOT HAVE HARD IMPACT DAMAGE. THE PROPELLER DID NOT REVEAL IMMEDIATE EVIDENCE OF OPERATION WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND.
NTSB INVESTIGATOR FOUND EVIDENCE OF TREE LIMBS/BRANCHES CUT AT AN ANGLE CONSISTENT WITH PROPELLER IMPACT WHILE UNDER POWER. THIS EVIDENCE SHOWED THE ENGINE WAS OPERATIONAL DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE. THE ENGINE WAS RECOVERED FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE AND EVALUATED BY LYCOMING. THE AIRFRAME WRECKAGE WAS EVALUATED BY TEXTRON. NOTHING OF NOTE WAS FOUND TO BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
AIRCRAFT LOGBOOK RECORDS WERE IN THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. SOME ENTRIES WERE LEGIBLE, HOWEVER, THEY WERE BADLY BURNED. AIRCRAFT RECORDS WERE REPRODUCED WITH LOGBOOK ENTRIES FROM THE PART 43 REPAIR FACILITY THAT PERFORMED THE ANNUAL AND THE PART 145 REPAIR STATION THAT PERFORMED THE 91.411 & 91.413 CHECKS. FROM THE RECORDS AVAILABLE, THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO HAVE MET THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS.
DURING THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS AN INDIVIDUAL CAME FORWARD WITH FOOTAGE FROM A CAMERA POSITIONED ON A POLE FACING THE DIRECTION OF THE ACCIDENT. FOOTAGE SHOWED VERY LOW CLOUD COVERAGE, HEAVY FOG AND MISTY WEATHER. AUDIO FROM THE VIDEO CONFIRMED THE ENGINE WAS OPERATIONAL AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THREE SEPARATE IMPACTS CAN BE HEARD WITH A FINAL EXPLOSION SOUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT VISIBLE THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO; HOWEVER, THE FINAL IMPACT IS VISIBLE VIA EXPLOSION/FIRE. ADSB DATA LAST REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRAVELING AT 100KTS.
THE NTSB AND I HAVE CONCLUDED THE ACCIDENT WAS CONTROLLED FLIGHT INTO TERRAIN. TEXTRON, LYCOMING, NTSB, AND I EVALUATED THE AIRFRAME, PROPELLER, AND ENGINE. THEY ARE NOT BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN UNAIRWORTHY PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.