ERA11FA467

The flight instructor's improper decision to attempt a visual descent into instrument meteorological conditions while approaching the destination airport, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and terrain.

The instrument-rated flight instructor and student pilot were on a night visual flight rules cross-country flight that included landings at two other airports and a return to the original departure airport. The student pilot had obtained a preflight weather briefing that indicated that some local weather reporting stations were reporting marginal visibilities, likely due to ground fog. A postaccident weather study indicated that the weather conditions were likely to deteriorate further and become instrument meteorological conditions due to ground fog. Local law enforcement personnel were dispatched to the destination airport after citizens called the emergency operators and reported an airplane was circling the airport. A police officer who was unable to locate the airplane reported that a heavy fog was present and visibility was between 30 to 40 feet. Review of recorded radar data revealed the airplane flew over the destination airport at 2,700 feet above ground level (agl). The last radar return indicated the airplane had descended to 1,500 feet agl about 1 /2 mile south west of the destination airport. The airplane was located in the vicinity of that radar return. The flight instructor and student pilot likely encountered instrument meteorological conditions as they approached their original departure airport; however, they did not contact or request any assistance from air traffic controllers. Examination of the airplane revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 20, 2011, at 0034 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N13126, collided with trees and terrain while descending, about 1/2 mile south of the Titusville Airport (6G1) Titusville, Pennsylvania. The airplane was registered to and operated by Titusville Aero club Inc, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The airplane sustained structural damage and a post crash fire ensued. The certified flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The flight originally departed 6G1 about 2100 on a visual flight rules (VFR) night cross country flight to Erie International Airport (ERI), Eire, Pennsylvania, arriving at 2306. The flight departed ERI at 2307, then arrived and departed Willoughby Lost Nation Municipal Airport (LNN), Willoughby, Ohio, at an undetermined time. The flight encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in the vicinity of 6G1; however, there was no contact with or request for assistance from air traffic control (ATC). The airplane was reported missing at 1008 on August 20, 2011, and located by ground personnel at 1115. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot's last contact with Erie Approach was at 2319, when the airplane was 22 nautical miles west of ERI. Local law enforcement personnel were dispatched at 0038 to 6G1 after citizens called the emergency operators and reported an airplane was circling the airport. An officer arrived at the airport at 0048. The officer could not hear and did not locate the airplane. He stated that a heavy fog was present and visibility was between 30 to 40 feet. A witness, who lived in the vicinity of the accident site, heard the airplane approaching his grandfather's house. He then heard a loud impact about 0030. The witness thought he was dreaming and went back to bed. He informed his grandfather in the morning that he thought an airplane had crashed behind their house. Review of recorded radar data from Clearfield, Pennsylvania, revealed the airplane flew over 6G1 at 2,700 feet at 0028. The last radar return was at 0034, and the airplane had descended to 1,500 feet, about 1 /2 mile southwest of 6G1. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The flight instructor, age 43, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane, issued on August 11, 2009. In addition, he held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine, airplane multiengine, and instrument airplane, issued on March 24, 2011. The flight instructor's logbook was not recovered and his last instrument proficiency check, flight review, instrument fight, and night flight could not be determined. The flight instructor held a third-class medical certificate, issued on April 28, 2008, with no restrictions. The flight instructor indicated on his application for the third-class medical that he had 1600 total flight hours. His wife stated that he normally kept his logbook in the airplane while flying. The student pilot, age 46, held a third-class medical certificate, issued on May 17, 2011, with the restriction "must have available glasses for near vision." The student pilot's logbook was not located and his total flight time could not be determined. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The Cessna 172M was a four-place airplane with a fixed tricycle landing gear, serial number 17262516, manufactured in 1973. A Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180-horsepower, horizontally-opposed, four-cylinder engine powered the airplane. Review of the airplane logbooks revealed the last annual inspection was conducted on March 1, 2011, at a recorded tachometer time of 4,381.60 hours. The total time on the engine at the annual was 984.50 hours. The inspector with inspection authorization wrote in the logbook, "I certify that this airframe has been inspected in accordance with an annual inspection and the following discrepancies exist. 1. You must flight test and sign off on the Aux. vac system. 2. Flaps are set to exceed 30 %." The corrective action was recorded in the airframe logbook but not signed off. A correction was made by a memorandum and placed in the logbook on August 29, 2011. The airplane flew 58.7 hours since the last annual inspection. The transponder, altimeter, encoder, and static system tests were completed on August 25, 2009. The total airframe hours at the time of the accident were 4,440.3 hours. The total time on the engine at the accident site was 1,043.2 hours. The airplane was last refueled at 6G1 on August 19, 2011, and was topped off with 4.3 gallons of 100 low lead fuel. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The student pilot contacted Lockheed Martin at 2037 and received a weather briefing for the flight. He declined to file a VFR flight plan and informed the controller that his total flight planned route with intermediate stops was 1 hour and 45 minutes. The briefer informed the pilot there was a high pressure system over Pittsburgh and another high pressure system over the thumb of Michigan. He further stated that Franklin, Pennsylvania was marginal VFR. He added that the terminal forecast for Franklin up to 2300 was visibility 3 miles and mist. The briefing ended at 2048. The National Weather Service (NWS) Surface Analysis Chart for 2300 on August 19, 2011 depicted a high pressure system dominating over the area with calm winds, clear skies, and high relative humidity. All of the surrounding station models across the region depicted a temperature-dew point spread of 3 degrees F or less with mist. The NWS Weather Depiction Chart for 2400 depicted an extensive area of marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) conditions with several areas of IFR conditions across the state. Titusville did not have weather reporting capability; the closest reporting site was from Venango Regional Airport (FKL), Franklin, Pennsylvania, located approximately 15 miles south of the accident site at an elevation of 1,540 feet. The airport had an automated weather observation system (AWOS) installed without a precipitation discriminator, which could not specifically report weather type. The observation immediately after midnight, indicated visibility rapidly deteriorated to IFR conditions and continued through 0730. At the approximate time of the accident, FKL reported calm wind, visibility 2.5 miles, weather type missing, clear skies, with a temperature of 16 degrees C, and dew point of 15 degrees C. The NWS Pittsburgh (PIT) upper air sounding depicted a surface based temperature inversion and favorable conditions for the formation of radiation type fog, with light winds, high relative humidity, and clear skies. No specific areas of turbulence or icing were identified on the sounding. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-13 infrared band 4 image at 0015 depicted a relatively cloud free area over the accident site with a surface based obscuration. The NWS area forecast expected a weak pressure gradient over the area, with VFR conditions expected over northwestern Pennsylvania, with high scattered clouds at 10,000 feet, and MVFR conditions in mist expected in the valley areas after 0400 through 0800. The NWS Aviation Weather Center issued an Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) for IFR conditions over the accident area at 2245, which was valid until 0500 the next morning on August 20, 2011. The advisory expected ceilings below 1,000 feet above ground level (agl) and visibility below 3 miles in mist. The conditions were expected to develop between 0200 and 0500, and continue beyond 0500 and end between 0800 and 1100. The NWS terminal forecast for FKL, current at the time the flight departed, expected VFR to MVFR conditions in mist to prevail during the period. At the time of the accident, MVFR conditions in mist were expected, with a temporary period of IFR conditions between 0200 and 0600. The next forecast was issued at 2325 and effective