CEN10FA108

The pilot's spatial disorientation and subsequent failure to maintain airplane control.

The visibility at the time of the accident was 1/2 mile with fog and the vertical visibility was 100 feet. A witness stated that the pilot checked the weather, but that he appeared to be in a hurry and took off without performing a preflight inspection of the aircraft. After takeoff, air traffic control instructed the pilot to turn left to a heading of 270 degrees. The pilot reported to the controller that he was at 1,300 feet climbing to 3,000 feet and the controller cleared the pilot to climb to 4,000 feet; the pilot acknowledged the clearance. Witnesses on the ground noted that the airplane was loud; one witness located about 1.5 miles from the departure airport reported that the airplane flew overhead at treetop height. The airplane impacted trees and a residence about 2.3 miles north-northeast of the departure airport. The airplane's turning ground track and the challenging visibility conditions were conducive to the onset of pilot spatial disorientation. Postaccident inspection failed to reveal any mechanical failure that would have resulted in the accident. The pilot purchased the airplane about three months prior to the accident; at that time he reported having 72.6 hours of instrument flight experience and 25 hours of multi-engine experience, with none in the accident airplane make and model. After purchasing the airplane, the pilot received 52 hours of flight instruction in the accident airplane in 7 days. Logbook records were not located to establish subsequent flight experience.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 23, 2010, at 1852 central standard time, a Smith Aerostar 601P, N222AQ, collided with the terrain and a residence in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Four occupants in the residence were not injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post impact fire. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane departed from the Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR), Aurora, Illinois, at 1850. The destination for the flight was the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Denver, Colorado. The airplane departed on runway 09 at ARR. After departure the airplane was issued a left turn to a heading of 270 and was instructed to contact departure control. The pilot checked in with departure control reporting that he was leaving 1,300 feet climbing to 3,000 feet. The air traffic controller cleared the pilot to climb to 4,000 feet. The pilot acknowledged the clearance. There was no further contact between the pilot and air traffic control. There was no radar data available for the airplane. The airplane impacted trees, the terrain, and a residence which was located approximately 2.3 miles north-northeast of ARR. The homeowner stated that she had just walked out of the kitchen when she heard a loud noise and the house shook. She stated she, her mother, and two children exited the front door of the house. She was not aware that an airplane hit the house until a neighbor told her what happened. An employee at the fixed base operator (FBO) at ARR stated that she was working when the airplane arrived on the night before the accident and again when the airplane departed on the accident flight. She stated that the airplane was topped off with fuel when it arrived and was put in a hangar overnight. The employee stated the pilot arrived back at the airport on the evening of the accident about 15 minutes prior to takeoff. She stated the pilot used his own computer to check the weather and file a flight plan. The pilot mentioned the fog and that there were areas of ice along the route of flight. The employee stated a lineman pulled the airplane out of the hangar and helped the passenger load their bags. She stated the pilot walked out to the airplane and departed without doing a preflight inspection. She stated that they seemed to be in hurry. A witness who saw and heard the airplane was located about 1.5 miles northeast of ARR. He stated he was outside talking on the telephone and he had to stop his conversation because the airplane was so loud as it flew overhead, just clearing an oak tree on his property. Several other witnesses reported they heard the airplane's engines just prior to the accident and that the weather was foggy at the time. The local fire chief who lived near the accident site reported he heard the airplane fly over his house and that it was very low and that the engines were producing power at the time. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 37, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, airplane multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. The pilot received his instrument airplane rating on April 10, 2009. On June 12, 2009, the pilot failed to pass the practical portion of his multi-engine examination. The pilot was re-examined, passed, and was issued his multi-engine rating on June 15, 2009. The pilot's last Federal Aviation Administration medical examination was completed on April 2, 2008, when he was issued a second-class medical certificate. The medical certificate did not contain any limitations. The pilot's logbook records were not located during the investigation. On an aviation insurance application dated October 27, 2009, the pilot reported having 503.2 hours of total flight time of which 437.9 hours were as pilot-in-command. The pilot also reported having 72.6 hours of instrument flight time and 0 hours in the Aerostar 601. A flight instructor who provided instruction for the pilot for his commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating stated the pilot had previously owned two other airplanes. He traded the last airplane in when he bought the Aerostar. He stated he tried to talk the pilot out of buying the Aerostar, because he thought it was too much airplane for him to handle. Another flight instructor who provided flight instruction to the pilot in the accident airplane for insurance purposes stated they flew 52 hours in the airplane over a period of 7 days. Records provided by this instructor show the flying took place in November 2009. He stated they flew numerous instrument approaches around the state of Florida. The instructor stated that he told the pilot that the airplane was "unforgiving" and that it did not have a lot of lateral stability. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The accident airplane was a 1974, Smith Aerostar 601P, serial number 61P-0164-004. The twin-engine airplane had a pressurized cabin and was not certified for flight into known icing conditions. The aircraft was registered to a company which was owned by the pilot. An aircraft Bill of Sale indicates the pilot purchased the airplane on November 10, 2009. The airplane total time at the time of the accident was not determined. The last entry in the aircraft logbook was for an annual inspection dated November 11, 2009. At the time of this inspection the aircraft total time was listed as 2,969.9 hours. According to the aircraft logbook, the last Pitot Static System and Altimeter check was on October 9, 2007. The airplane was equipped with Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 engines. According to logbook records, the left engine, serial number L-12185-48, and the right engine, serial number L-12189-48, were both overhauled in June 2002. On August 1, 2002, both engines were reinstalled on N222AQ. The last logbook entry for both engines was for an annual inspection dated November 5, 2009. The time since overhaul for both engines was listed as 527.9 hours at the time of the annual inspection. The aircraft was topped off with 133.2 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel prior to the accident flight. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The weather conditions reported at ARR located 2.3 miles south of the accident site at 1852 were: Wind from 140 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 1/2 mile with fog; vertical visibility 100 feet; temperature 4 degrees Celsius; dew point 4 degrees Celsius; altimeter 29.63 inches of mercury. Witnesses in the local area at the time of the accident reported the weather was foggy at the time. Information received from Data Transformation Corporation (DTC) direct user access terminal (DUAT) indicated that the pilot filed a flight plan on the computer, but there was no record of him having requested weather information. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The wreckage path was along a magnetic heading of 220 degrees. The initial impact was with a tree that was approximately 60 feet in height. A wingtip strobe light and pieces of red glass were found near the base of the tree along with an outboard section of the right wing. The tree contained one area of impact marks approximately 20 feet from the top and another area of impact marks about 40 feet from the top of the tree. The airplane contacted a second tree located about 25 feet further along the wreckage path. This tree was also approximately 60 feet in height and the top half of the tree was broken off. Near the base of this tree was the first ground scar which was approximately 4 feet in diameter and 12 inches deep. The right propeller was located in this hole. Just past the first impact ground scar was another impact area which was approximately 4 feet in diameter and 20 inches deep. The left engine, the left propeller, sections of the left wing, and the majority of the fuselage were located just beyond the second impact area. Approximatel