N2FBPiper PA-28-180 · 1966

On October 4, 2019, about 2033 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N2FB, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Asheboro, North Carolina. The private pilot and a student pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

Earlier in the day, the accident pilot flew as a passenger in the accident airplane from Asheboro Regional Airport (HBI), Asheboro, North Carolina, to Knoxville Downtown Island Airport (DKX), Knoxville, Tennessee, to purchase another airplane. Once the transaction was completed, one of the passengers, who was a rated pilot, flew the newly purchased airplane to HBI. The accident pilot and passenger departed DKX about 30 minutes later with the accident pilot seated in the left seat. The seller of the other airplane reported that the accident pilot, before departure, made a remark about being tired, and that his passenger needed to be "on his game."

The pilot of the purchased airplane arrived at HBI and waited for the arrival of the accident airplane. He heard the accident pilot announce his intentions to overfly the field from west to east and enter the left downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern for runway 21. He watched the airplane overfly the field from west to east and appear to turn left and disappear behind some trees. He also reported that dark night conditions prevailed at the time. After the airplane did not arrive at the airport, a search was initiated.

Radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed a target with a visual flight rules (VFR) transponder code that was correlated to be the accident airplane. The target arrived overhead HBI about 2029 from the west before turning southbound (right). The airplane made a 360° right turn about 2 miles south of runway 3 before resuming a southwesterly heading. The last target was at 2032:55 over the area of the accident site. Witnesses reported that the airplane circled over the local high school, where a football game was in progress. The airplane then entered a steep, nose-down descent during which the engine continued to run at high speed.

The pilot of the purchased airplane, who flew the accident airplane to DKX earlier that day, reported that the accident airplane’s vacuum pump was not operational and the vacuum instruments were not reliable. The accident pilot was aware of the vacuum problem but did not voice any concerns about flying at night with the condition. According to the pilot of the purchased airplane, the accident pilot had mentioned to him previously that he did not enjoy night flying.

The accident pilot, who owned the airplane, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. Review of his logbook revealed that he had logged a total of 4.6 hours of flight experience at night, and had not recorded any night experience since 2008. His most recent flight review was completed on January 6, 2016. His most recent FAA medical certificate was issued in June 2015.

The aircraft and engine logbooks were not located after the accident.

The accident occurred about 2033. On the evening of the accident, the moon set about 1959. At 2032, the moon's elevation angle was 10.58° below the horizon.

The aircraft and engine logbooks were not located after the accident.

The accident site was located in a wooded area about 2 miles south-southeast of HBI. The initial point of impact was an 80-foot-tall oak tree, and a large section of the right wing remained lodged in the tree about 50 ft above the ground. The main wreckage was located about 75 ft east of the initial impact point. The wreckage debris path was about 208 ft long and 108 ft wide and oriented on a heading of 080º.

The wings and fuselage were highly fragmented. There was no fire. The engine was separated from the airframe during ground impact. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit area to the flight control surfaces.

The instrument panel and firewall were fragmented and destroyed, with remnants of both imbedded and conformed into the rear section of the engine. The avionics and instruments were impact-damaged and destroyed, which prevented recording of usable data. An unidentified gyro and gyro housing were separated and located inside the debris field; the gyro housing exhibited scoring on the inside of the housing and the gyro exhibited rotational damage. The vacuum pump was removed from the engine and disassembled on scene; the drive coupling was sheared, and the rotor assembly was fractured.

The flap position could not be determined due to impact damage. The stabilator trim was found in a partial nose-up position.

The engine exhibited impact damage throughout. Both magnetos were impact damaged and could not be tested; one magneto was separated from the engine. The carburetor was broken away from the induction system by impact forces. The fixed-pitch aluminum propeller was partially buried in the ground. Some twisting was observed on the blade protruding from the ground. Following removal of the engine from the crater by aircraft recovery personnel, the other propeller blade was seen fracture-separated near the hub. The separated blade exhibited polishing and chordwise scoring to the cambered face and curling near the tip. Sections of wood were located along the debris path exhibiting angled cuts consistent with being cut by the propeller under power.

According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Raleigh, North Carolina, the pilot’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and the manner of death was accident. The exam was limited by extensive injuries; no contributory natural disease was identified by the medical examiner.

Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol in the pilot's brain tissue at 0.014 grams per hectogram (gm/hg), but not in muscle. Meloxicam, a non-impairing medication used to treat arthritic pain and inflammation, was detected in liver and muscle tissue. Toxicology testing detected marijuana's primary psychoactive chemical, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in the private pilot's liver, kidney, and lung tissue; the equally psychoactive metabolite, 11-hydroxy-delta-9-THC, in liver tissue; and the inactive metabolite, carboxy-delta-9-THC (THC-COOH), in liver and kidney tissue.

According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Raleigh, North Carolina autopsy report, the passenger’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and the manner of death was accident. While the exam was limited by extensive injuries, no significant natural disease was identified.

Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol in the student pilot-rated passenger's brain and muscle tissue at 0.032 gm/hg and 0.043 gm/hg, respectively; n-propanol was also detected in muscle tissue. No other tested for drugs were detected in muscle.

Ethanol

Ethanol is a social drug commonly consumed by drinking beer, wine, or liquor. It acts as a central nervous system depressant; it impairs judgment, psychomotor functioning, and vigilance. Ethanol is water soluble, and after absorption it quickly and uniformly distributes throughout the body's tissues and fluids. The distribution pattern parallels water content and blood supply of the tissue. A small amount of ethanol can be produced after death by microbial activity, usually in conjunction with other alcohols, such as propanol.

Marijuana

The marijuana plant (Cannabis sativa) contains chemicals called cannabinoids; tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid compound. THC's mood-altering effects include euphoria and relaxation. In addition, marijuana causes alterations in motor behavior, time and space perception, and cognition. Significant performance impairments are usually observed for at least 1-2 hours following marijuana use, and residual effects have been reported up to 24 hours.

THC is rapidly metabolized, but the rate of metabolism is not linear and depends on the means of ingestion (smoking, oil, and edibles), potency of the product, frequency of use, and user characteristics. The primary metabolite, 11-hydroxy-delta-9-THC, is equally psychoactive, but is rapidly metabolized to the non-psychoactive metabolite THC-COOH. THC is fat soluble, so is stored in fatty tissues and can be released back into the blood long after consumption. So, while the psychoactive effects may last a few hours, THC can be detected in the body for days or weeks. Thus, test results do not necessarily reflect recent use and cannot be used to prove that the user was under the influence of the drug at the time of testing.