NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 9, 2014, about 0555 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150C, N7968Z, owned and operated by a private individual, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering in Senoia, Georgia. The private pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Atlanta Regional Airport-Falcon Field (FFC), Peachtree City, Georgia, at 0548, destined for Eagle Neck Airport (1GA0), Shellman Bluff, Georgia. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The airplane was owned by the pilot and his wife, and based at FFC. The pilot and his wife also owned a home in a residential community at 1GA0.

According to pilot's wife, the pilot and the passenger, who was her brother, intended to fly to 1GA0 to attend a homeowner's association meeting that was scheduled to begin at 0800.

A witness, who lived about 3 miles from the airport stated that he observed a very low flying airplane about 0600. The airplane was flying about 30 to 40 feet above the tree line and the engine noise sounded normal. He lost sight of the airplane and recalled hearing a "thud," shortly thereafter. At the time, he did not consider that the airplane may have crashed and was not aware of the accident until hearing a news report. He described the weather conditions at the time he observed the airplane as "humid and rather foggy."

The airplane was subsequently found in a wooded area about 3.5 miles southeast of FFC, adjacent to a gravel road.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 57, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, which was issued on May 16, 2014. The pilot did not possess an instrument rating. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on July 31, 2014. The pilot was employed as an FAA air traffic controller and also held a control tower operator certificate.

According to the pilot's logbook, at the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated about 230 hours of total flight experience, which included about 190 hours in the accident airplane. In addition, he had accumulated about 50 and 20 total hours in the accident airplane, during the 90 and 30 days prior to the accident; respectively.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The single-engine, fixed-gear airplane, serial number 15060068, was manufactured in 1963. It was powered by a Continental Motors O-200-A, 100-horsepower engine equipped with a McCauley two-blade propeller.

According to the engine and propeller logbooks, the most recent annual inspection was performed on October 9, 2013. At that time, the engine had been operated for about 915 hours since overhaul and about 3,000 total hours since new. The airframe logbook was not located.

A fuel receipt from FFC indicated that the airplane was refueled with 9.8 gallons of aviation gasoline on August 8, 2014.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

A weather observation taken at FFC, at 0553, reported: calm winds, 6 statute miles visibility with mist, overcast ceiling at 600 feet above ground level, temperature 21 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 21 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.05 in-Hg.

Review of infrared satellite imagery around the time of the accident depicted low clouds in and around the departure airport.

There was no record of the pilot obtaining an official weather briefing for the flight. The pilot's wife stated that the pilot checked weather conditions for the flight the night prior to, and the morning of the accident using his iPad.

A witness, who was an FAA air traffic controller and active commercial pilot, described the weather at the time of the accident as "not good." He further stated that visibility was restricted due to some patchy areas of fog or mist and that the ceiling was about 300 to 400 feet above ground level. He further added that "the sky was very dark with no ambient light except for the parking lot lights."

Astronomical data obtained from the United States Naval Observatory revealed that for the date of the accident, the beginning of civil twilight was 0627, with Sunrise at 0654.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

The airplane's initial impact point was a berm on the side of a gravel road that was adjacent to east-west high tension power lines, at an elevation about 800 feet. The impact with the berm was consistent with the airplane in a level attitude. Debris was strewn for about 80 feet, on a heading about 240 degrees, and the airplane came to rest nose down, in trees facing the opposite direction of the debris path. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site.

The cockpit was crushed and the instrument panel was fragmented. The left wing was separated from the fuselage and contained leading edge compression damage approximately mid-span and was crushed in a tapering fashion toward the left wing tip. The right wing remained attached to the center wing section at the aft attachment bolt and was fractured into two pieces at approximately mid-span. The empennage was separated and remained attached via control cables. The vertical stabilizer, rudder, left horizontal stabilizer and left elevator remained attached. The leading edge of the right horizontal stabilizer, an approximate 2-foot section of the outboard right horizontal stabilizer, and the right elevator and trim tab were separated. The separated leading edge of the right horizontal stabilizer and the outboard section of the right horizontal stabilizer exhibited a semi-circular deformation consistent with tree impact. Control cable continuity was established for all flight control surfaces. The flap actuator handle was observed in the down (flaps retracted) position.

The engine remained partially attached to the airframe firewall via engine mounts and various lines, cables and hoses. The propeller, both magnetos, starter, vacuum pump, and carburetor separated from the engine and exhibited impact damage. The propeller was located about 65 feet from the initial impact point and remained attached to the crankshaft flange, which separated from the crankshaft. The propeller blades displayed chord-wise scratches, leading edge gouges, and "S-bending." The engine crankshaft was rotated by hand with a pipe wrench. Continuity to the accessory gears and valve train was established. Thumb compression was attained, and valve movement was observed on all cylinders. The cylinders were also inspected with a lighted borescope with no anomalies noted. One magneto produced spark from all towers. The second magneto was impact fractured and could not be rotated completely. The carburetor was disassembled with no anomalies noted. The carburetor fuel bowl contained a small amount of fuel that was consistent with 100 low-lead aviation gasoline. The vacuum pump was disassembled and exhibited normal operating signatures. The vacuum pump drive gear was not located.

A handheld gps receiver was recovered from the cockpit and forwarded to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory, Washington, D.C., for data download.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Division of Forensic Sciences. The autopsy report listed the cause of death as "generalized blunt force injuries."

Toxicological testing performed on the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, identified ibuprofen, lidocaine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and salicylate in urine. However, neither these nor any other tested-for substances were identified in blood. The vitreous was negative for glucose; but, the glucose level in urine was 135mg/dl, and the hemoglobin A1C was measured at 7.4 percent.

According to the pilot's wife, the pilot was not known to be diabetic. Records obtained from his treating orthopedist confirm that he did not carry a diagnosis of diabetes. In addition, pharmacy records did not include any medications used to treat diabetes.

Review of medical records revealed that the pilot received a spinal injection to treat ongoing low back pain radiating to his arms and legs, on the day prior to the accident.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Global Positioning System Receiver

Data were successfully downloaded from the GPS. The data that were associated with the accident flight began about 0540, with the airplane on the ramp area at FFC. At 0548:24, the airplane was on the takeoff roll departing from runway 31. After takeoff, the airplane made a left turn and climbed to a GPS recorded altitude of 1,191 feet. The airplane turned toward the southeast and continued on a southeasterly heading, where its altitude varied between approximately 1,100 and 1,800 feet. Around 0553, the airplane began a right turn from an altitude of 1,368 feet toward a westerly heading, which was back toward the departure airport. At 0554:26, at an altitude of 1,227 feet, and a derived groundspeed of 99 knots, the airplane began a slight left descending left turn toward the accident site location. During this time, the data showed the airplane reached a maximum groundspeed of 123 knots. At 0554:40, the airplane was at an altitude of 823 feet and a groundspeed of 116 knots, approximately 3.25 nautical miles southeast of FFC. At 0554:51, the airplane had descended to an altitude that roughly matched the surrounding terrain. The last recorded data point was taken at 0555:12, in the immediate vicinity of the wreckage location.

NTSB Probable Cause

The noninstrument-rated pilot’s inadequate preflight weather planning and his improper decision to attempt a visual flight rules flight in night instrument metrological conditions, which resulted in subsequent collision with terrain.