Takeoff & Initial Climb · NTSB CHI08FA066
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. 58 — Cleveland, OH
| Date | January 17, 2008 |
| Location | Cleveland, OH |
| Aircraft | Hawker Beechcraft Corp. 58 |
| Purpose of flight | Positioning |
| Conditions | Night · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 68 |
| Pilot total time | 18,600 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 350 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Physical-Health/Fitness-Use of medication/drugs-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Effect on personnel
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusio-Visual illusion/disorientation-Pilot - C
What happened
The pilot was hired by the airplane operator for a positioning flight. The pilot departed at night in a northerly right turn over Lake Erie from a lake shore airport. The moon and city associated with the airport were south of his flight path. The airplane was observed descending in the right hand turn and subsequently impacting the lake. An examination of the recovered wreckage revealed no preimpact anomalies, and an engine monitor recorded sensor readings consistent with both engines being at a high power until the recorded data stopped. The pilot had a history of back pain and had been regularly and recently using a potentially sedating muscle relaxant, which could cause impairment. He had heart disease identified during the autopsy that may have increased his risk of sudden cardiac death. He was also at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, which commonly causes fatigue and cognitive impairment; however, the investigation could not conclusively identify that the pilot was impaired. The maneuvering of the aircraft and lack of outside visual references soon after takeoff made the situation conducive to spatial disorientation.