MIA08FA094

The instrument-rated private pilot departed with an instrument flight rules clearance and encountered instrument meteorological conditions shortly after takeoff. He did not establish contact with air traffic control at any time during the flight, nor did he enter controlled airspace on the assigned heading of 180 degrees. According to the NTSB Air Traffic Control (ATC) Radar Study, the flight climbed to approximately 1,800 feet msl, and continued in a direction northwest of the departure airport while turning left, right, and then left with slight changes in altitude. The airplane then began a right descending turn with the bank angle and turn rate increasing beyond the standard rates and angles, and the load factor reached close to maximum limits. At some point near the end of the flight, during the right descending turn, the lower fuselage panel separated and the left rear window separated. The airplane impacted the ground then a house and both were destroyed by impact and postcrash fire.

The pilot's wife reported a previous concern with a stuck flap. Although the impact and fire destroyed sections of the flight control push/pull tubes and components of the flap system, changes in direction to the left and right were consistent with the pilot controlling the airplane. Examination of the wreckage, including the flight control, flap, and speedbrake systems, did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Additionally, Mooney Flight Test personnel reported that the airplane is controllable with one flap fully extended and the other flap fully retracted. No evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction was noted to the engine or engine accessories.

Risk factors for spatial disorientation were present at the time of the accident, including instrument meteorological conditions and maneuvering flight. The airplane’s sequence of turns during the departure and its subsequent spiral dive were conducive to vestibular illusions. Analysis of the radar data in the airplane performance study showed evidence of a flight path and associated increased g-loading that were consistent with the effects of spatial disorientation.

History of flight

On April 27, 2008, about 1019 eastern daylight time, a Mooney Airplane Company, Inc., M20M, N429RM, registered to RKJ Aero LLC, experienced an in-flight loss of control shortly after takeoff from Chesterfield County Airport (FCI), and crashed into a house located in Midlothian, Virginia. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight from FCI to Franklin Municipal-John Beverly Rose Airport (FKN), Franklin, Virginia. The airplane was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire, and the certificated private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were killed. The house was destroyed by impact and the postcrash fire, and the sole person in the house sustained serious injuries due to burns. The flight originated about 1016, from FCI.

An employee of a fixed base operator (FBO), at the departure airport, reported the airplane remained on their ramp with the engine running for approximately 15 minutes. The airplane then taxied to runway 33 and remained at the approach end of the runway for approximately 15 minutes. Another employee of the same FBO reported she did not hear any radio calls on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) from the pilot announcing his departure, but she became busy with work duties and people that arrived at the FBO about that time.

According to a transcription of communications with Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), at 1007:46, an occupant of the airplane established contact with the James River Flight Data (JRVFD) Position and advised the controller that they were on the ground at FCI requesting IFR clearance to FKN. The JRVFD controller advised the pilot that the flight was cleared to FKN via direct Harcum VORTAC, then direct FKN. He was also advised to maintain 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl), expect 5,000 feet msl 10 minutes after takeoff, the departure frequency was 134.7 MHz, and the discrete transponder code was 5321. An occupant of the airplane correctly read back the IFR clearance and the JRVFD controller instructed the pilot to advise when the flight was ready to depart. An occupant replied that they were currently number one to takeoff from runway 33. At 1009:08, the Potomac TRACON JRVFD controller advised the pilot that the flight was released for departure and to enter controlled airspace heading 180 degrees. An occupant of the airplane read back the heading information.

The employee of the FBO, who witnessed the airplane taxiing out, further reported that during takeoff, when the airplane was abeam the windsock, it was below the tree-line. While airborne, the airplane continued past the departure end of the runway, where he lost sight of the airplane after entering clouds. It was not raining at the time of departure, but it was cloudy. He did not recall whether the landing gear retracted and did not recall seating positions of the occupants before departure.

According to the NTSB Air Traffic Control (ATC) Radar Study, the first radar target associated with the accident airplane was at 1016:03; the airplane at that time was located near the departure end of runway 33 at 300 feet msl. The flight continued on the runway heading until approximately 1017:04, and climbed to approximately 1,100 feet msl. At that time the flight was near Jacobs Road. The airplane then turned left, flying in a west-northwesterly direction and climbed to approximately 1,300 feet msl, until approximately 1017:22. At that time the flight turned right flying in a northwesterly direction. The flight continued in the northwesterly heading, climbing to approximately 1,800 feet msl, until 1017:50, while over Hull Street Road (U.S. Route 360), the airplane then turned left. The airplane continued in the left turn until 1018:17. During the left turn the airplane descended initially to 1,600 feet msl, then climbed back to 1,800 feet msl. The airplane remained at approximately 1,800 feet msl, but turned right, flying first in a westerly direction, then turned left flying in a west-southwesterly direction until 1018:27. At that time, the airplane began a right descending turn, losing 1,000 feet of altitude in an approximate 10 second period, with a corresponding ground speed increase from approximately 140 knots to 170 knots. The last radar target, which occurred at 1018:40, depicted the airplane to be at 600 feet msl, and was located near the accident site. A non-correlated radar target was located west of the last radar target.

One witness, located near the accident site, reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, that he observed the airplane flying beneath the cloud bases. The airplane flew in a southerly direction at an estimated 50 to 60 feet above ground level (agl), in a wings level, slow descent. He saw a large part separate, then heard engine sound decrease. He noticed the propeller turning slowly, then lost sight of the airplane.

A second witness reported hearing the engine “stalled” and tried to restart, while a third witness reported that at the time of the accident there was light drizzle. The witness heard an airplane approaching from the northwest and reported the noise increased enough to get his attention. He observed the airplane, which appeared to be silver in color, and noticed the right side of the airplane while it was descending at about a 45-degree angle. The engine sounded “wide open” and there was no sputtering; the engine roar was constant. He correlated it to a “kamikaze type dive.” He did not see any sign of a recovery from the nose-low descent, and it disappeared from his view. A second or two later, he heard the impact and his wife dialed 911. He did not see anything separate from the airplane. It was not “listing to either side and was right side up. I could not see the pilot or passenger.”

A fourth witness reported that at the time of the accident, he was in his driveway and heard a noise from above. It sounded to him like the engine was “missing and sputtering.” He looked in the direction of the noise and saw the airplane coming across the trees, moving southward across Woodsong Drive at a rapid rate of speed. The airplane was descending at about a 45-degree angle, and it was not pitching or rolling. The airplane impacted on Woodsong Drive. He drove to the scene right away and saw other neighbors circling the house, trying to gain entrance, but it was evident they could not enter due to the heavy smoke and flames.

At 1019:26, a controller with the Potomac TRACON Flatrock (FLTRK) Position advised on the departure frequency, “november four two nine romeo mike potomac departure low altitude alert climb and maintain two thousand immediately.” There was no recorded response from the pilot and there was no recorded communication from the accident pilot while airborne with Potomac TRACON.

The airplane crashed into a house located in a residential area during daylight conditions. The crash site was located approximately 400 feet south-southeast from the last correlated radar target.

Personnel information

The pilot, age 40, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, issued on February 3, 2007 and April 7, 2007, respectively. He also held a third-class medical certificate, with no limitations, issued on December 18, 2006.

A review of his pilot logbook, which was found in the wreckage and was heat damaged, revealed that no carry forward flight time was listed on the first page of logged flights. The “From” date indicated December 16th, with the year not legible. He logged a total time of approximately 332 hours, of which approximately 271 hours were as pilot-in-command (PIC). Since obtaining his instrument rating on April 7, 2007, he logged approximately 23 hours actual instrument flight time, of which 19 hours were log