Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN10FA392
BEECH 35C33 — Tolar, TX
| Date | July 14, 2010 |
| Location | Tolar, TX |
| Aircraft | BEECH 35C33 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 26 |
| Pilot total time | 1,830 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 3 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-(general)-(general)-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Physical-Sensory ability/limitation-Vestibular function-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Contributed to outcome - F
What happened
The pilot and the two passengers departed on a cross country flight on a dark, moonless night over a rural area. Approximately 10 minutes after they departed, the airplane was observed in a descending spiral over a hay field. The last 50 seconds of recorded GPS data and the witness's description of the maneuvers before the crash, were consistent with the pilot experiencing a vestibular illusion, which resulted in a spiral from which he was unable to recover. Although toxicology testing detected very low levels of a marijuana metabolite in the blood, it was consistent only with use of the substance in the days or weeks preceding the accident, and not suggestive of impairment at the time of the accident. A postaccident examination of the airplane and the engine revealed no preimpact mechanical deficiencies.