Controlled Flight Into Terrain · NTSB CEN15FA347
GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA 5A — Harrisburg, IL
| Date | August 10, 2015 |
| Location | Harrisburg, IL |
| Aircraft | GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA 5A |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 36 |
| Pilot total time | 30 hrs · Student / very low time |
| Time in type | 30 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Student/instructed pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Effect on personnel
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience-Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The student pilot departed for a cross-country personal flight with one passenger on a moonless night. Meteorological and astrological conditions on the night of the accident included a convective system near the accident site about the time of the accident with no moon illumination. No radar data associated with the accident airplane were identified.
Before reaching the destination airport, the student communicated to his spouse that he was returning to the airport, presumably to his point of departure. The airplane was located the following day in an unlit, heavily wooded area of a national forest. Impact signatures were consistent with the airplane's right wing striking tree tops before the airplane descended and impacted terrain in a nose-low attitude.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The student's logbook was not recovered, and his total and night flying experience could not be determined. It also could not be determined whether he had received any solo endorsements.
The student should not have taken off in dark, night conditions, and it is likely that, as he entered an area with little to no ambient light and cloudy weather conditions, he had no ground references or natural horizon, which resulted in his subsequent controlled descent into terrain.