VFR into IMC · NTSB ERA11FA232
CESSNA 310R — McComb, MS
| Date | April 10, 2011 |
| Location | McComb, MS |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 310R |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 51 |
| Pilot total time | 3,500 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 3 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Alcohol-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Low ceiling-Not specified
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Not specified
What happened
The instrument-rated pilot and two passengers arrived at the departure airport about 0320 after going to a bar. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing or file an instrument flight rules flight plan; night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the destination airport. The airplane departed uneventfully at 0408. At 0423, the pilot reported to air traffic control that he had the destination airport in sight and elected to cancel flight following services. At that time, the destination airport was 24 miles away and under two broken cloud ceilings and an overcast ceiling; thus, the pilot most likely did not have the destination airport in sight. The airplane subsequently overflew the destination airport and initiated a left turn. The last radar target was recorded at 0432, at an altitude of 2,600 feet mean sea level, which was above the two broken cloud ceilings and slightly below the overcast ceiling. Examination of the wreckage and data recovered from an onboard engine analyzer did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Toxicological testing revealed that the pilot was impaired due to alcohol ingestion.