VFR into IMC · NTSB ERA16FA063
TIMOTHY C WILLIAMS CCK-1865 — Linesville, PA
| Date | December 7, 2015 |
| Location | Linesville, PA |
| Aircraft | TIMOTHY C WILLIAMS CCK-1865 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 59 |
| Pilot total time | 600 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 200 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Below VFR minima-Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Effect on personnel
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Below VFR minima-Effect on personnel
What happened
The noninstrument-rated pilot not receive a weather briefing before taking off on a personal flight on a dark, moonless night in instrument meteorological conditions. Review of GPS and engine monitor data revealed that, during the last 2 minutes of the 13-minute flight, the airplane descended to 500 ft above ground (agl) level and continued toward the destination airport, which had one turf runway with no lighting. The airplane then overflew the destination airport at 300 ft agl, continued on its course, and then impacted trees about 1 mile beyond the departure end of the airstrip. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The engine monitor data also showed that the engine was operating with cruise power up to the end of the data.