PIPER PA-30 — Ebensburg, PA

What happened

The pilot departed from an non-towered airport before sunrise with an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan on file. Track data revealed that the airplane entered a climbing, left turn after takeoff, reaching an altitude about 1,500 ft above the ground. The airplane remained in the left turn for about 360°. An examination of tree strikes at the accident site revealed that the airplane was at a left bank angle of about 55° and a descent angle of about 30° at impact. The airplane impacted trees and terrain about 2 miles south of the departure airport. The wreckage was highly fragmented, indicative of a high-energy impact with the ground.

Postaccident examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers did not reveal evidence of a pre-existing mechanical malfunction or anomaly that would have precluded normal operation.

One of the pilot’s toxicology specimens tested positive for ethanol; however, whether the pilot had consumed alcohol or was experiencing any associated impairing effects at the time of the crash could not be determined based on the limited toxicological evidence.

Although the departure airport did not have a weather reporting capability, a nearby airport reported low instrument meteorological conditions and the pilot likely encountered these instrument conditions shortly after takeoff. While the pilot had logged thirteen practice instrument approaches in the six months before the accident, he had logged no actual instrument time in the eight months before the accident. Based on the weather conditions, the dark lighting conditions, and the wreckage distribution, which was consistent with a high-speed impact, it is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation and lost airplane control after taking off.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.