N52445Cessna 172P · 1980

On September 11, 2015, about 1510 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N52445, collided with terrain near Riegelwood, North Carolina. The non-certificated pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was privately owned and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions existed along the route of flight around the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from a private grass airstrip in Bolton, North Carolina, at 1500 with a destination of Henderson Field Airport (ACZ), Wallace, North Carolina.

According to the owner of the departure airstrip, a mechanic/pilot and the accident pilot arrived from ACZ to pick up his airplane for repairs. After they landed, he recalled that his mechanic exited the accident airplane from the right seat. The mechanic/pilot then entered his airplane and prepared it for departure. The owner of the private airstrip then watched as the mechanic/pilot departed in his airplane first, followed by the accident airplane. He also noted that the accident airplane sounded "fine" as it departed, and noted that after takeoff it turned to the left and did not follow his airplane.

About 45 minutes later, after the mechanic/pilot landed at ACZ, he called the private airstrip owner and asked if the accident pilot had departed. The airstrip owner said that he departed "right after you." The owner of the airstrip went on to say that the mechanic/pilot told him he was "going back up" in an attempt to find his friend. An hour had passed and the mechanic/pilot called the airstrip owner to see if the accident airplane had returned, as he had been unable to locate him. The airstrip owner told him that the airplane had not returned.

The mechanic/pilot contacted the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) and reported the missing airplane. According to AFRCC, an active emergency locator transmitter signal was received at 1815. A search ensued and the wreckage was found in a field about three nautical miles northeast of the departure airstrip at 0030 the following day.

The pilot, age 76, did not hold a pilot certificate. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot had first applied for a medical certificate in 1973. At that time, he reported 3 hours of flight experience. On his next and last application, dated 01/18/1979, he reported 6,800 total hours of flight experience. He reported no medical conditions and no medications to the FAA. In 1979, he received a second-class medical certificate with a requirement to have available glasses for near vision. That certificate expired for all classes in 1981. No flight records or flight logbooks were located for the pilot after the expiration of his last medical certificate.

The four-seat, high-wing, fixed landing gear airplane, was manufactured in 1981. It was powered by a Lycoming O-320-D2J engine and equipped with a McCauley model DES1C160 fixed-pitch propeller. Review of maintenance logbook records showed an annual inspection was completed on March 26, 2008, at a recorded tachometer reading of 5,005 hours, airframe total time of 10,527 hours, and engine time since major overhaul of 1,407 hours. The tachometer time observed at the accident site was 5,031.98.

According to FAA records, the airplane was issued a "Special Flight Permit" for maintenance due to the airplane not having a current annual inspection. The ferry permit was issued on December 5, 2012. A review of a maintenance invoice revealed that the airplane was flown from Wilmington International Airport Wilmington, North Carolina, (ILM) to ACZ in April 2015.

The recorded weather at ILM, located 20 nautical miles from the accident site, at 1453, included winds from 100 degrees at 10 knots; 10 statute miles visibility, few clouds at 6,000 feet, and 8,000 feet scattered. A temperature of 28 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 22 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.82 inches of mercury.

The four-seat, high-wing, fixed landing gear airplane, was manufactured in 1981. It was powered by a Lycoming O-320-D2J engine and equipped with a McCauley model DES1C160 fixed-pitch propeller. Review of maintenance logbook records showed an annual inspection was completed on March 26, 2008, at a recorded tachometer reading of 5,005 hours, airframe total time of 10,527 hours, and engine time since major overhaul of 1,407 hours. The tachometer time observed at the accident site was 5,031.98.

According to FAA records, the airplane was issued a "Special Flight Permit" for maintenance due to the airplane not having a current annual inspection. The ferry permit was issued on December 5, 2012. A review of a maintenance invoice revealed that the airplane was flown from Wilmington International Airport Wilmington, North Carolina, (ILM) to ACZ in April 2015.

Wreckage debris and broken tree limbs were scattered for about 600 feet along an approximate 150-degree magnetic heading, emanating from a cluster of scraped and broken trees. A separated section of the outboard left wing and an outboard section of the left aileron were along the beginning of the debris path. A ground scar about 30 feet-long and 4 feet-wide was observed on the ground, about 50 feet southeast of the initial cluster of broken trees. The fuselage and empennage were located about 550 feet southeast of the ground scar.

Examination of the left wing revealed it remained attached to the main wing spar. Approximately 5 feet of the outboard wing was fragmented, and the remainder of the wing was buckled forward. The flap was in the up positon and the inboard section of the aileron remained attached to the wing. The aileron control cable was traced from the aileron to the cockpit controls, and continuity was confirmed. The fuel tank was breached and the fuel cap was locked and secure.

Examination of the right wing revealed that it remained attached to the main wing spar. The entire span of the wing was buckled. The flap was in the up position and aileron remained attached to the wing. The aileron control cable was traced from the aileron to the cockpit controls and continuity was confirmed. The fuel tank was breached and the fuel cap was secure.

The empennage was attached to the fuselage with the vertical stabilizer attached. The rudder was attached to the vertical stabilizer at all attach points, and the rudder control cables were attached to the rudder horn. Rudder control continuity was established from the rudder to the cockpit. The horizontal stabilizer structure and elevators were still attached to the empennage. Elevator control continuity was confirmed from the control surface to the cockpit. The elevator trim tab was observed in the 5-degree nose up position.

The fuselage came to rest flat on the belly of the airplane. The cabin, cabin roof, and cabin floor showed crush damage, and the cabin door was separated. The instrument panel was crushed with most instruments and avionics separated from their mounts. The control yoke and rudder pedals were crushed within the cockpit. The engine power controls were damaged and the positions could not be determined. The engine start and magneto switch was found separated with the key absent and the orientation of the switch in the "both" position. The attitude indicator and the directional gyro were found crushed and separated. The readings were unreliable.

The engine was separated from the firewall with sections of the engine mount bent and attached. The propeller, oil filter, exhaust muffler and portions of the intake and exhaust tubing were separated from the engine. The engine was partially disassembled to facilitate the examination. The engine crankshaft was rotated using a tool inserted in the vacuum pump drive pad, and continuity of the crankshaft to the rear gears and to the valve train was confirmed. Compression and suction were observed on all four cylinders. Oil was observed in the engine. The oil cooler and associated hoses were impact-damaged. Both magnetos were impact-damaged and remained attached to the engine. The left magneto case was fractured and could not be operated. The right magneto was rotated by hand and produced spark from all four electrode towers. The carburetor was impact-damaged and partially separated from the engine. The float bowl was separated and empty. The brass floats were crushed, and the carburetor fuel inlet screen was not located.

The propeller was separated from the crankshaft and one blade was bent aft about 5 degrees, exhibited blade twisting, and leading edge abrasions on the span of the blade. The other blade was curved forward about 5 degrees at about 2/3 span, and exhibited leading edge abrasions.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Raleigh, North Carolina, performed an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was recorded as multiple blunt force trauma. The autopsy was limited by the degree of damage to the body, but evidence of previous 3-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting, ongoing coronary artery disease, and extensive scarring in a very enlarged heart were identified.

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology testing on specimens from the pilot, with negative results for carbon monoxide, drugs, and alcohol.