ERA11FA074

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering at night in deteriorating weather conditions due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing.

The pilot was conducting a night currency flight during marginal visual meteorological flight conditions. He did not file a flight plan or obtain a weather briefing prior to departure. About 4 minutes after departing, the pilot contacted air traffic control and stated the weather was worse than he anticipated. He requested an instrument clearance and approach back to his departure airport. The airplane was radar identified, the pilot was instructed to climb to 2,000 feet and then proceed direct to an intermediate fix. The pilot acknowledged the clearance and there was no further communication between him and the controller. A review of radar data revealed the airplane was first observed at 700 feet mean sea level, in a climbing right turn. It continued to climb while turning to the left and right, to 1,100 feet. The airplane was last observed by radar at 700 feet in a descending right turn. A witness stated he observed the airplane flying below a cloud layer estimated between 500 to 1,000 feet agl, with the strobe lights on. He described the area as very dark with no ambient light. Another witness stated he observed the airplane in straight and level flight, flying in and out of the clouds. The pilot's last recorded night flight was 14 months prior to the accident, and no flights had been conducted in the accident airplane. The pilot obtained an instrument rating 2 months before the accident and he had flown 4.5 hours of actual instrument flight time; of which, 1 hour was in another model airplane. The pilot had logged 15 minutes of instrument flight time in the accident airplane. At the time of the accident, the moon's phase was "waxing crescent" with 18 percent of the disk illuminated. If neither horizon nor surface references exist, the attitude of an airplane must be determined by artificial means from the flight instruments. However, during periods of low visibility, the supporting senses sometimes conflict with what is seen, and when this happens, a pilot is particularly vulnerable to spatial disorientation. Federal Aviation Administration guidance indicates that spatial disorientation can occur when there is no natural horizon or surface reference, such as a night flight in sparsely populated areas similar to that of the accident area and conditions. Based on the wreckage and the visual reference conditions present at the time of the accident it is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 29, 2010, at 1845 central standard time, a Beech A36, N1860P, registered to B2 Air LLC, operating as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, collided with the ground while maneuvering in the vicinity of Theodore, Alabama. Marginal visual meteorological (MVFR) conditions prevailed. The private pilot was killed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from St Elmo Airport (2R5), St Elmo, Alabama, about 1837. A co-owner of the airplane stated the accident pilot called him at about 1730 and informed that he was going to 2R5 to go fly since his night currency had expired. He further stated this was the first night flight that the pilot had conducted in the accident airplane. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Mobile Approach Control, the pilot contacted the facility at 1841:37. The pilot stated the weather was lower than anticipated and he requested an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance with an RNAV approach back to runway 6 at 2R5. The airplane was radar identified 3 miles north of 2R5. The pilot was instructed to maintain 2,000 feet, and upon reaching 2,000 feet to proceed direct to OTUWI intersection. The pilot acknowledged the clearance at 1844:04 and there were no further communications between the pilot and the controller. A witness, who is an aircraft mechanic, stated he observed the airplane flying from south to north with the strobes lights on. The airplane was flying below a cloud layer estimated to be between 500 to 1,000 feet above the ground. It was very dark with no ambient light. The airplane flew over his house and the engine sounded like it was developing about 60 to 70 percent power. The airplane continued north towards Lee Roy Hill pasture, located at the end of Wyn Road. The witness heard an increase in engine power followed by an impact and an explosion. Another witness stated he was standing in his back yard and observed the airplane traveling in straight and level flight, in and out of the clouds. The winds were out of the south; it was very dark, with little illumination. The ceiling was about 500 feet. The airplane passed over his location and continued north bound. The engine noise stopped and the sky illuminated as the airplane collided with the ground. A review of Mobile Approach Control radar revealed the airplane was at 700 feet mean sea level at 1842:19, and started a right climbing turn. At 1843:29, the airplane was at 900 feet and had turned back to the left. The airplane was at 1,000 feet at 1843:56 and continued in a climbing right turn to 1,100 feet. The airplane was last observed by Mobile Approach radar at 1,000 feet in a descending right turn at 1844:20. The airplane was observed by Citronella radar site located 21 miles north of Mobile Approach Control radar at 700 feet in a descending right turn at 1844:32. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 37, held a private pilot certificate issued on September 14, 2010, with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot's last instrument proficiency check and last flight review was conducted on September 14, 2010. The pilot had logged 164.2 total flight hours; of which, 27.7 hours were in the Beech A36. The pilot had logged 4.1 hours of night flight time. The last recorded night flight before the accident was on September 14, 2009. The pilot had not logged any previous night flights in the Beech A36. The pilot had logged a total of 4.5 hours of total actual instrument flight time; of which, 1 hour was as pilot in command (PIC). The pilot's last instrument flight was on October 24, 2010, in a Cessna 172. The pilot had logged .3 hours of instrument flight time in the Beech A36 as PIC. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The Beech A36 was a six-place airplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear, serial number E-1934, manufactured in 1981. A Continental IO-550, 300-horsepower, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine powered the airplane. Review of the airplane logbooks revealed the last annual and 100-hour inspection was conducted on November 11, 2010, at a recorded tachometer time of 3598.2 hours. The tachometer at the accident site was destroyed. A factory new IO-550-B (67) was installed on the airplane on September 25, 2008, at a tachometer time of 3558.5 hours. The airplane had flown 39.7 hours since the factory new engine was installed, to the time of the most recent annual inspection. The total airframe hours at the time of the annual inspection were 3598.2 hours. The altimeter, transponder, and transponder automatic altitude reporting system were tested on October 1, 2010. The registered owner of the airplane stated the airplane was topped off with fuel on November 27, 2010, while at Tara Field, located near Atlanta, Georgia. He and his wife flew back to 2R5 and parked the airplane in the hanger. The airplane had 90 gallons of 100 low lead fuel on board when the accident pilot departed on the flight to obtain his night currency requirements. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION AT the time of the accident, the National Weather Service (NWS) depicted a warm front extending over the southern Alabama with an extensive area of instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions over southern and central Alabama, extreme western Florida panhandle, central and northern Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, western Illinois, and portions of western and central Georgia. Surrounding that area was an area of marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) conditions over portions of eastern Texas to northern Florida, into the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and into Illinois. The closest visual flight rules (VFR) conditions were over a small area of southern Louisiana. The accident site was depicted as being under a large area of IFR ceilings between 500 and 900 feet above ground level (agl). The southeast section of the NWS hourly radar summary chart depicted two tornado watches immediately west of the accident site, extending to Louisiana into extreme southwest Texas, and the second watch area over Mississippi, into southeast Louisiana. A large area of echoes associated with thunderstorms and rain showers extending in a north to south line from Arkansas, into Louisiana, and into Texas and predominantly within the first watch area. Several small scattered echoes extended over southern Louisiana and Mississippi within the second watch area. However, although severe weather was occurring immediately west of the area, a review of the local regional mosiac indicated no echoes in the vicinity at the time of the accident. The closest weather reporting facility to 2R5 was Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), Mobile, Alabama, located approximately 11 miles north at an elevation of 219 feet mean sea level (msl). No weather reporting capability other than a windsock was available at 2R5. Predominately MVFR to IFR conditions prevailed surrounding the period of the accident. At the time of departure, MOB reported winds were from 150 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 18 knots, visibility 10 miles, ceiling broken at 1,000 feet, overcast at 1,300 feet, temperature 23 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 21 degrees C, and altimeter 29.96 inches of mercury (Hg). Remarks: automated observation system, ceiling 800 feet variable 1,200 feet. The next closest weather reporting location was from Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM), located 13 miles northeast of 2R5. At 1853 BFM reported a wind from 160 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 6 miles in mist, scattered clouds at 200 feet, ceiling broken at 1,100 feet, overcast at 8,000 feet, temperature and dew point 19 degrees C, and altimeter 29.96 inches of Hg. A special report was issued at 1913, reporting visibility of 5 miles in mist with a ceiling broken at 200 feet. Trent Lott International Airport (PQL), Pascagoula, Mississippi, was located 13 miles west of 2R5. The 1853 weather observation was wind from 150 at 10 knots, visibilit