CEN21LA044

The noninstrument-rated pilot had landed at a friend’s private airstrip for a visit. The friend, who was also a pilot, reported that the pilot was nervous about the weather conditions and checked the weather every 30 minutes beginning about 2 hours before departing. The friend offered the pilot his vehicle to drive home, but the pilot declined. According to the friend, it was a dark night with low cloud ceilings, light drizzle, and thick fog. The friend stated that he followed the airplane during its takeoff roll to the south using his headlights to illuminate the runway and lost sight of the airplane’s lights in the overcast and fog within seconds after its departure. He heard the airplane’s engine running at high rpm and then heard an impact. The wreckage was located on top of a hill about 1/4 mile southwest of the airstrip. Ground scars, impact signatures, and wreckage fragmentation patterns were consistent with the airplane impacting terrain in a near 90° bank angle with high forward velocity. The airplane’s impact attitude and speed indicate the pilot had lost control of the airplane. The airplane likely entered instrument meteorological conditions shortly after takeoff, and the pilot lost visual reference to the ground, which resulted in a loss of control.

On November 7, 2020, about 1918 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-22-135, N3606A, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Dunn Center, North Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a friend of the pilot, the pilot had landed at the friend’s private airstrip for a visit. The friend, who was also a pilot, reported that the accident pilot was nervous about the weather conditions and checked the weather every 30 minutes beginning about 2 hours before he departed. The friend offered the pilot his vehicle to drive home, but the pilot declined. He described the weather as a low ceiling, light drizzle, thick fog, and light conditions as a dark night. The pilot told his friend that he was going to return to Fargo, North Dakota, but would first fly to Dickinson, North Dakota, to purchase fuel. According to the friend, the pilot believed that Dickson had an overcast sky at 2,500 ft above ground level, and the pilot thought that once airborne he would be able to see the lights of Dickinson about 22 miles to the south. The friend further stated that he followed the airplane during its takeoff roll to the south using his headlights to illuminate the runway. He lost sight of the airplane’s lights in the overcast and fog within seconds after its departure. He said he could hear the airplane in the overcast, and it sounded like it was turning back toward the runway. He heard the airplane’s engine running at high rpm and then heard an impact. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the scene of the accident, the airplane struck a hill about 1/4 mile southwest of the airstrip. The FAA inspector reported ground scars, impact signatures, and wreckage fragmentation patterns consistent with the airplane impacting terrain in a near 90° bank angle with high forward velocity. The examination of the flight controls and engine was limited due to the impact damage to the airplane. According to a weather study conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, an Airmen’s Meteorological Information (AIRMET) advisory Sierra was valid for the accident site for instrument flight rules weather conditions due to mist and fog. Satellite imagery illustrated cloud cover with cloud tops up to 27,000 ft msl over the accident site. There were no precipitation echoes above the accident site at the time of the accident.