NTSB Factual Report

History of Flight

On April 17, 1998, at 1600 eastern daylight time, a William E. Sargent Lancair 235, N813Y, collided with a mountain ridge at the 3100 foot level of "Buzzard Roost" near Newport, Tennessee. The personal flight, operated by the pilot, under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. According to weather data recovered from the nearest weather reporting facility, visual weather conditions prevailed at the approximate time of the accident. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. According to a witness at the St. Clair International Airport in Port Huron, Michigan, the flight departed the airport at 0832.

The circumstances of the flight and of the accident are not known. On the afternoon of April 18, 1998, the Rescue Coordination Center received an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal from the vicinity of Newport, Tennessee. A search conducted by the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and local authorities located the aircraft wreckage on the morning of April 19, 1998. According to local authorities, at the approximate time of the ELT signal, there were low clouds and the tops of the mountains were obscured in the immediate vicinity of the accident site. There were no eyewitnesses to the accident.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land airplane rating. The pilot completed a third class medical examination on October 23, 1997. The pilot completed a biennial flight review, in the Lancair 235 airplane, approximately six months before the accident. A review of the pilot flight records disclosed that he had accumulated a total of 1,060 hours. Additional information about the pilot is located on page 3 of the factual report under the "First Pilot Information" data field.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

An annual inspection on the airplane was completed on October 10, 1998. The airplane had 700 total flight hours on the airframe. Additional information about the airplane is located on page 2 of the factual report under the "Aircraft Information" data field.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

A review of weather data from the nearest reporting facility disclosed that visual conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The accident site is approximately 35 miles east of the Mcghee Tyson Airport. The field elevation at the Mcghee Tyson Airport is 981 feet. The field elevation at the accident site is 3100 feet. Additional weather data is located on pages 3 and 4 of the factual accident report, under the "Weather Information data field. There was no record of the pilot receiving a preflight weather briefing before this flight. Reportedly, low clouds obscured the tops of the mountains in the vicinity of the accident site.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

An examination of the accident site disclosed that the airplane was broken into three pieces and the wreckage path was orientated on a 170-degree magnetic heading. Aircraft wreckage debris was scattered over an area about 150 feet long and 50 feet wide. The airplane wreckage rested on a steep mountain ridge with near vertical drop-offs. The extreme vertical component of the terrain, prevented an onsite wreckage examination. The wreckage was never removed from the accident site, and no subsequent wreckage examination was conducted.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

According to Dr. C. Blake, the postmortem examination of the pilot was conducted by Dr. C. Blake at his office in Morristown, Tennessee. Toxicological examinations were negative for drugs and alcohol.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A search of the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic system failed to disclose air traffic records of the pilot receiving air traffic services for this flight.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's attempt to operate in instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain clearance with the surrounding terrain. Contributing factors were clouds and the mountainous/hilly terrain.