CEN21FA320

The noninstrument-rated pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight. Flight track data indicated that the airplane proceeded direct toward its destination until about 1 hour after departure, when it began a series of course and altitude changes, likely due to an encounter with adverse weather conditions. Just before the accident, the airplane entered a descending right turn, during which its descent rate increased and turn radius decreased, and the airplane impacted the ground in the vicinity of the final returns. The airplane impacted a farm field, and the wreckage was distributed in a fan-shaped pattern about 400 ft in length. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A Convective SIGMET, which advised of severe thunderstorms and hail, was valid for the time of the accident at the accident location. Weather radar confirmed the presence of thunderstorms, severe precipitation, and 0.85-inch hail in the area of the accident site at the time of the accident. The aviation area forecast discussion described these storms as bringing marginal VFR conditions with IFR conditions in some of the heavier storms. Toxicology testing revealed the pilot’s use of multiple potentially impairing drugs; however, no active substances were found in the pilot’s blood following the accident. Therefore, it is unlikely that effects from the pilot’s use of these substances contributed to the accident. The airplane’s turning, descending flight track just before the accident is consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. It is likely that the pilot’s decision to fly directly under a thunderstorm resulted in an encounter with heavy precipitation and reduced visibility conditions, which subsequently resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of airplane control.

Airplane maintenance records were not available for review. The pilot was not in contact with ATC during the flight. On July 14, 2021, about 1238 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N2801T, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Muscatine, Iowa. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The airplane departed from Ford Airport (IMT), Iron Mountain, Michigan, with an intended destination of Nevada Municipal Airport (NVD), Nevada, Missouri. Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast information indicated that the airplane departed IMT and proceeded on a direct course toward NVD at an altitude about 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl). About 1 hour after departure, the airplane entered an area where thunderstorm activity was present and began a series of course and altitude changes that continued to the end of the flight data. Just before the accident, the airplane entered a descending right turn from an altitude about 2,900 ft msl. As the turn continued, the radius of the turn decreased, and the airplane’s descent rate increased until the end of the data. Figure 1. The accident airplane’s flightpath overlayed on weather radar imagery depicting the weather at the time of the accident. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified 2.3 ng/ml of carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal (THC-COOH) in the pilot’s blood and liver. THC-COOH is the primary inactive metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinal (THC). THC is the psychoactive compound in cannabis. In addition, diphenhydramine and caffeine were identified in the pilot’s spleen and liver. No active substances were identified in the pilot’s blood. Information from the National Weather Service (NWS) Aviation Weather Center indicated that a Convective SIGMET that was in effect for the accident location at the time of the accident. The SIGMET advised of an area of severe thunderstorms with hazards that included 1-inch hail. Weather radar images indicated the presence of thunderstorm activity at the location and time of the accident, with 0.85-inch hail in the immediate vicinity of the accident site. At 1221, the Weather Forecasting Office for Quad City, Iowa, issued for the aviation section of the area forecast discussion, showers and thunderstorms impacting near the area and bringing marginal VFR conditions with IFR conditions in some of the heavier storms. Also, some of these storms could bring wind gusts to 50 kts and hail. Whether the pilot obtained a weather briefing prior to the accident flight or not is unknown. No flight plan was filed. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. His flight logbooks indicated about 227 total hours of flight experience as of the last entry dated July 8, 2020. The airplane impacted a farm field on a southerly heading. Uponimpact, the airplane fragmented, and the wreckage was distributed in a fan-shaped pattern. The fuselage came to rest about 435 ft south of the initial impact point. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.