N5776BCessna 182 · 1956

On December 7, 2021, at 2124 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182 airplane, N5776B, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Statesboro, Georgia. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to a family member, the pilot had flown the airplane from her home airport, Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (ZPH), Zephyrhills , FL (ZPH)Florida, to the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport (TBR), Statesboro, Georgia, for a meeting and planned to return that night. The pilot owned a sky diving business that had operated out of TBR and was familiar with the area.

The family member reported that during a telephone conversation that occurred about 2030, the pilot told him that the clouds were low and that she would not be flying under an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. She planned to stay at a low altitude for 10 to 15 miles after takeoff during the return trip to ZPH.

Review of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data found that the airplane departed runway 14 at 2121. Shortly after takeoff, the flight track turned south, climbed to about 1,000 ft msl, which was about 800 ft agl, and then about 1.8 nautical miles south of TBR, the airplane entered a left turn. The airplane continued in a left 360° tightening turn where a maximum altitude of about 1,800 ft msl was reached, which was subsequently followed by a rapid descent.

The final position recorded at 2124:32 was about 0.1-miles from the accident site and showed the airplane headed east at an altitude of 575 ft msl (about 375 ft agl). Figure 1 displays the ADS-B flight track, main wreckage area, and witness locations.

Figure 1: Overview of the flight track, wreckage, and witness locations.

Multiple witnesses reported observing and/or hearing the airplane in-flight. A witness located at the TBR airport parking lot saw the takeoff. The airplane’s lights were on; and it sounded as if the airplane was climbing “steeply;” and the engine noise was loud.

Two additional witnesses, who were located together near the accident site, reported seeing the airplane while outside in a driveway. One witness reported that she heard a low flying airplane that sounded like a “crop duster” and “got louder.” She then saw the right side of the airplane, and it appeared to be flying in a “curved” descent that continued into a “rapid descent.” When the airplane first came into view, she could not recall observing lights or a glow from the airplane; however, as it flew away from her position, she saw a “sparkler glow” before it impacted the ground. The other witness also reported observing the airplane in a descent that continued into a rapid descent into a field just beyond his view. He added that when the airplane flew by, he could see “lights on the bottom” of the airplane. When asked specifically if he recalled seeing the airplane on fire in the air, he stated that it was not on fire.

Two additional witnesses heard the airplane while in their houses. One of these witnesses was a private pilot and reported that due to the proximity of his house to the airport, he was accustomed to hearing airplanes, but this airplane was “unusually low.” He added that the sound dissipated, but a few minutes later, he heard the airplane again, and it sounded like “the engine was screaming” as if the “throttle was through the panel.” The other witness reported that she heard engine noise until a “thud” was heard.

The pilot’s logbook was not recovered during the investigation. The pilot’s most recent flight review, instrument currency, and night currency could not be determined.

Review of weather information revealed that instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in the form of low clouds prevailed at TBR. The IMC conditions were first recorded at 2035, about 45 minutes before the pilot’s takeoff. Multiple witnesses confirmed that a low cloud layer persisted throughout the evening.

At 2115, the reported ceiling at TBR was 600 ft agl. Based on this weather observation, the airplane likely entered the low cloud layer about 800 ft msl and did not climb above the top of the cloud layer, which was near 8,000 to 9,000 ft msl.

Dark night conditions prevailed. The end of civil twilight was at 1748, and the moon set was at 2105, about 20 minutes before the accident.

According to Leidos, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contract Flight Service Station provider, and ForeFlight LLC, there was no record that the pilot filed a flight plan or requested a weather briefing via telephone or online. There was also no record of the pilot contacting FAA air traffic control before or during the flight.

The wreckage was highly fragmented and was oriented on a debris path of about 110° magnetic. The initial impact ground scar was located about 220 ft from the main wreckage final resting location, and the elevation was about 175 ft msl. Figure 2 provides an overview of the major components of the airplane located at the accident site.

Figure 2: Overview of the major airplane components as located in the debris path.

All major components of the airplane were located in the debris path. The left-wing tip and additional left-wing fragments were located in the initial impact scar, which was consistent with the airplane impacting terrain in a descending left bank. There was no evidence of an in-flight fire; however, the wreckage was thermally damaged during a postcrash fire.

The examination of the wreckage found no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. The altimeter setting corresponded to the correct altimeter setting based on the 2115 TBR weather observation. There was no evidence of a vacuum pump failure.

Spatial Disorientation

The FAA Civil Aerospace Institute's publication, "Introduction to Aviation Physiology," defines spatial disorientation as a loss of proper bearings or a state of mental confusion as to position, location, or movement relative to the position of the earth. Factors contributing to spatial disorientation include changes in acceleration, flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), frequent transfer between visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and IMC, and unperceived changes in aircraft attitude.

The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3A) describes some hazards associated with flying when the ground or horizon are obscured. The handbook states, in part: The vestibular sense (motion sensing by the inner ear) in particular tends to confuse the pilot. Because of inertia, the sensory areas of the inner ear cannot detect slight changes in the attitude of the airplane, nor can they accurately sense attitude changes that occur at a uniform rate over a period of time. On the other hand, false sensations are often generated; leading the pilot to believe the attitude of the airplane has changed when in fact, it has not. These false sensations result in the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation.

According to the autopsy report issued by the Georgia State Bureau of Investigation, Division of Forensic Sciences, the pilot’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was an accident.

Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified ethanol in muscle tissue at 0.025 gm/dl but none in liver tissue, and testing in brain tissue was inconclusive. In addition, quetiapine was identified in liver tissue at 17 ng/gm. Quetiapine, commonly marketed with the name Seroquel, is an atypical antipsychotic approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disease. Off label, in much smaller doses, it may often be used to treat insomnia.