N4658XCessna 150G · 1966

On September 23, 2019, about 2045 central daylight time, a Cessna 150G, N4658X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Prairie Grove, Arkansas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

An employee of the fixed-base operator fueled the airplane before the accident. The employee recalled that the pilot mentioned that he was "very tired," having worked earlier that day. She thought the pilot did exhibit some confusion concerning the receipt, which the employee attributed to the pilot being tired. The employee stated that the pilot sounded clear during his radio transmissions and had requested flight following from the tower controller. She said that the airplane's engine sounded fine and that there was no precipitation, but there were some high clouds at the time of the pilot's departure.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and radar information for the accident flight showed that the airplane departed from runway 34 and turned to the south-southeast. As the airplane climbed to about 4,400 ft, it entered a left turn followed by a rapid spiraling descent. A nearby landowner reported hearing a low-flying airplane followed by the sound of an impact. He smelled fuel, but could not locate the wreckage in the dark. He notified first responders, and the airplane was later located in wooded, hilly terrain near his residence.

The pilot's logbook was located in the wreckage. His private pilot certificate was issued on July 2, 2019. The pilot performed a night currency renewal on August 11, 2019, after that date he recorded 3 more hours of night flight experience.

The pilot's last logbook entry was August 17, 2019, at which time his total flight experience was 106.1 hours, including about 90 hours in the accident airplane make and model, at least 9.5 hours of night experience, and 59.9 hours of dual instruction. He had 3.4 hours of instruction in simulated instrument conditions, the most recent (0.2 hours) recorded on July 2, 2019; there was no record of experience in actual instrument conditions.

According to his father and a friend, the pilot had recently gotten a new job and his first day of work was the same day as the accident flight. He had woken about 0530 that morning and worked from 0700 to about 1400. He departed his home airfield around 1600. The passenger on the previous flight stated that the airplane appeared to be operating normally. When they landed, the pilot ate a quick meal and wanted to depart quickly because he had work in the morning. The pilot remarked to the friend that he was "really tired." She told him not to fly if he was tired, and the pilot told her he would drink an energy drink. She was also concerned about him flying in the dark, and he told her it was a good thing because he needed to log more night hours.

A review of weather information revealed mostly visual flight rules conditions with scattered clouds 4,800 ft above ground level. Imagery detected a small area of low stratiform-type clouds over the accident site with cloud tops near 8,000 ft mean sea level. At the time of the accident, both the sun and the moon were more than 15° below the horizon and provided no additional illumination.

There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing before departure or obtaining weather information through ForeFlight. A passenger on the flight before the accident flight stated that the pilot was using his iPad for weather, but the application he was using or the information he accessed could not be determined.

Impact signatures were consistent with the airplane colliding with trees and terrain in a nose low, nearly vertical attitude. All major components were located at the accident site. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Vehicle Performance Study

A performance study based on ADS-B information indicated that, about 2040:07, the airplane entered a momentary 4,000 ft per minute (fpm) climb. During the climb, the recorded groundspeed went from 90 knots to 30 knots at 2040:21, and the airplane's pitch attitude increased from 5° to 60° nose-up. The airplane then entered a nearly 6,000-fpm descent, and about 2040:33, the recorded bank angle indicated that the airplane was inverted. The airplane’s power-off stall speed listed in the pilot operating handbook was 48 knots.

Spatial Disorientation

Spatial disorientation is defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25B) as, "the lack of orientation with regard to the position, attitude, or movement of the airplane in space." The handbook states:

[d]uring flight in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), the eyes are the major orientation source and usually prevail over false sensations from other sensory systems. When these visual cues are removed, as they are in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), false sensations can cause a pilot to quickly become disoriented…unless a pilot has many hours of training in instrument flight, flight should be avoided in reduced visibility or at night when the horizon is not visible. A pilot can reduce susceptibility to disorienting illusions through training and awareness and learning to rely totally on flight instruments.

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Toxicology testing on specimens from the pilot detected the presence of ethanol in cavity blood and muscle, but not in the liver. The specimens were documented as putrefied.