NYC00FA209

The private pilot departed at night, on an instrument flight plan, in a GPS-equipped airplane. The weather conditions included low ceilings and fog. The clearance he received prior to departure differed from his filed route, and once airborne, he received a further revision. The airplane continued to climb, but the pilot did not follow the revised clearance. Twice, the radio was keyed, with no voice transmission heard. Radar data indicated that the airplane climbed to 4,300 feet, and then entered a steep, descending right turn. Several witnesses heard the airplane descending at high power. One witness saw the lights illuminated on the airplane prior to ground impact. No evidence of a pre-existing failure was found with the engine or airframe. The pilot's total flight experience was about 300 hours, with 50 hours in the accident airplane. His recency of instrument experience and night flight was not determined.

History of flight

On July 26, 2000, at 0028 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 210D, N3894Y, was destroyed when it struck the ground after takeoff from the Hanover County Airport (OFP), Ashland, Virginia. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight destined for Linden, New Jersey. The flight was operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot had flown in earlier the same evening from Linden, New Jersey, at 1815. He was met by friends and attended a local seminar. Following the seminar, while being driven back to the airport, the pilot called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Leesburg Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) for a weather briefing.

According to transcripts from the FAA, initial contact was at 2312, and was terminated by the pilot after 1 minute due to poor reception. A second contact occurred at 2331, at which time the pilot asked for a standard weather briefing. He was given conditions of low ceilings, reduced visibility, and rain in his departure area, and improving conditions toward his destination.

At 2359, the pilot again established telephone contact with the Leesburg AFSS, and filed an IFR flight plan. His filed route of flight was Hanover Airport, direct to EPICS intersection, then via VICTOR 376 to IRONS intersection, direct NOTTINGHAM VOR, VICTOR 433, direct to APPLE intersection, direct Linden, New Jersey. There was then a discussion between the pilot and weather briefer about the route, and the route was amended to go direct from the NOTTINGHAM VOR to Linden Airport. The pilot told the briefer that the airplane was equipped with a global positioning navigation system (GPS), and used suffix G to describe the installed equipment.

At 0013:30, on July 26, 2000, while still on the ground at Hanover, the pilot established radio contact with Richmond Approach Control, and requested his IFR clearance. The controller stated:

"november three eight nine four yankee, you're cleared to lima delta juliet, via victor sixteen to smyrna [VOR], victor twenty nine modena [VOR], direct yardley [VOR], victor two fourteen metro [intersection]...maintain two thousand, expect five thousand within ten minutes after departure, departure frequency will be one three four point seven, squawk two one six zero, and stand by for the rest of the routing if there is any."

The pilot read the clearance back to the controller. The controller then gave a correction to the pilot, and the pilot acknowledged the correction. The controller then told the pilot that his read-back of the clearance was correct.

At 0022:07, the pilot called for release, and was released at 0022:22. When the pilot did not reply to the controller's release, the controller made another radio call to the pilot and repeated the release, which was then acknowledged by the pilot. The pilot was subsequently given a current altimeter setting, which was also acknowledged.

At 0025:08, the pilot reported, "richmond departure, centurion three eight nine four yankee is with you at one thousand four hundred [feet], climb to five [5,000 feet]. The controller replied, "november three eight nine four yankee, departure's radar contact, you can proceed direct tappa [intersection], join victor sixteen, maintain five thousand." The pilot replied, "direct tappa, joining victor sixteen, maintaining five, nine four yankee."

At 0026:40, the controller stated, "november nine four yankee, verify you're in a turn towards tappa." The pilot replied, "ah, currently, I'm at ah....." After speaking, the radio recorded an increase in background noise, similar to engine sound and/or wind noise. At 0027:10, another transmission was received where background noise was heard, but no voice transmissions were heard.

At 0027:24, the controller stated, "nine four yankee, it appears you're southbound, why don't you make a turn heading of ah zero six zero and join victor sixteen. No reply was received from the pilot.

At 0027:40, the controller stated, "november nine four yankee, richmond." The pilot replied, "yes, nine four yankee," after which, the controller said, "nine four yankee, it appears you're ah circling around the airport, why don't you go ahead and turn zero six zero and join victor sixteen on that heading. At 0027:52, the pilot replied, "zero six zero, joining victor one six, nine four yankee."

No further transmissions were received from the airplane.

One witness reported:

"We...were sitting on the couch in the house and we heard a loud sound like a high-speed motorcycle for three or four seconds. Then we heard it hit the ground. We went to help look for the plane and it was about one hundred yards from my house. I could tell it was going very fast by the noise that it was making."

A second witness reported:

"I was driving home from work on Sliding Hill road, and as I approached the airport, I saw the aircraft descending at an angle toward the ground. It was perpendicular to the runway and parallel to the road I was on. It was 12:30 at night, raining, and I had the wipers and the car radio on. The aircraft engine is what caught my attention first because it was loud. The lights on the aircraft were on. The plane appeared to be in whole, not in pieces."

A third witness reported that he had lived near airports for many years and was familiar with the sound of departing airplanes. He said that he heard the takeoff and the engine was, "very powered up." He heard the airplane heading away from the airport, to the east, and the noise got fainter. The engine noise then got louder as the airplane returned, and the engine was screaming. He could hear the engine noise rise and fall three times before hearing a thud.

The accident occurred during the hours of darkness, at 37 degrees, 41.924 minutes north latitude, and 77 degrees, 26.016 minutes west longitude.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land and instrument airplane. He also held an FAA third class airman medical certificate, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses, issued on November 28, 1998.

The pilot lived by himself. According to his father, who made a search of his son's residence, he was unable to locate his son's flying logbook.

According to FAA records, the pilot initially took his private pilot flight test on December 19, 1997, and failed. He retook the checkride on December 23, 1997, and passed it.

On March 25, 1999, the pilot took his instrument rating checkride, and failed it. The notice of disapproval noted he would be retested on, air traffic control clearances and procedures, and instrument approach procedures. He retook the test on September 17, 1999, and passed. According to his pilot application for the retest on his instrument rating, he listed his total flight experience as 232 hours.

According to the pilot's insurance application dated February 7, 2000, his total flight experience was 260 hours. According to an unsigned aircraft checkout form, dated March 8, 2000, his total flight experience was 270 hours.

Interviews with the insurance adjustor and the Chief Flight Instructor at the facility where the pilot initially kept the airplane failed to disclose who initially checked out the pilot in the Cessna 210.

The pilot was estimated to have accumulated at least 24 additional hours, for an estimated total flight experience of about 300 hours, with 50 hours in make and model, at the time of the accident. The pilot's recency of experience with instrument and night flight operations was not determined.

Interviews were conducted with the check airmen who conducted the pilot's initial and recheck for his instrument rating. Neither person remembered the pilot. The recommending flight instructor for the recheck re