- Date
- October 7, 2016, 13:43 local (17:43 UTC)
- Place
- Ashwood, VA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N100UKAlgimantas Jonusas RV-10
- Defining event
- Enroute: VFR encounter with IMC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20161007013609A
- Case key
- 94171
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight weather planning and continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The noninstrument-rated private pilot obtained weather information from an on-line flight planning website. Before departure, he also telephoned his destination airport and "determined the weather was all OK." He then took off and climbed to 5,500 ft mean sea level for the cruise portion of his flight. He advised that he also checked and monitored weather while en route but that the "fog and clouds came down really thick," so he decided to divert to the nearest airport. While flying toward his diversion airport, the visibility deteriorated and a "TERRAIN ALERT" warning illuminated on his GPS display. He attempted to pull up twice but impacted trees and terrain on the side of a mountain. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured during the impact, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Review of weather observations indicated that an extensive area of low clouds and a large area of marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) conditions existed over the pilot's planned route. Low instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions prevailed at the diversion airport and near the accident site with visibility less than 1/4 mile in heavy rain and overcast ceilings at 100 ft. The MVFR-to-IFR weather conditions had been forecast, and AIRMETs warning of IFR and mountain obscuration conditions had been issued.
Factual narrative
The non-instrument rated private pilot obtained weather information from an online flight planning website. Prior to departure he also telephoned his destination airport and "determined the weather was all OK." He then took off and climbed to 5,500 feet above mean sea level for the cruise portion of his flight. He advised that he also checked and monitored weather while enroute, but the "fog and clouds came down really thick," so he decided to divert to the nearest airport. While flying towards his diversion airport, the visibility deteriorated and a "TERRAIN ALERT" warning illuminated on his GPS display. He attempted to pull up twice, but impacted trees and terrain on the side of a mountain. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured during the impact and the airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.Review of weather observations indicated an extensive area of low clouds, and a large area of marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) conditions existed over the pilot's planned route. Low instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions prevailed at the diversion airport and in the vicinity of the accident site, with visibility less than 1/4-mile in heavy rain and overcast ceilings at 100 ft. The MVFR to IFR weather conditions had been forecast, and AIRMETs warning of IFR and mountain obscuration conditions had been issued.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N100UK
- Reported as
- Algimantas Jonusas RV-10
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 41224
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 199
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-D4A5, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 8, 2016
- Departed
- JVY · Jeffersonville, IN
- Destination
- W29 · Stevensville, MD
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- HSP · Ingalls Field
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 29, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 695 total · 199 in this make and model · 645 as pilot in command · 9.5 in the last 90 days · 7.8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 0.3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KHSP, 3 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 2, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.