WPR14FA286

The pilot’s decision to depart in low-ceiling conditions and his continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

The private pilot intended to reposition the airplane for maintenance to an airport about 23 nautical miles north-northwest of the departure airport. Low ceilings and fog were predominant in the area, with treetops on the adjacent golf course to the west obscured by fog. At the time of departure, the ceiling at the airport was most likely low, but the pilot elected to depart. Recovered GPS data revealed that, immediately after taking off to the west, the pilot turned to the north toward rising terrain. The pilot then, most likely after encountering a low ceiling, started a left turn, during which the airplane ascended to an altitude of about 515 ft. About 16 seconds after starting the left turn, the airplane had descended to an altitude of about 217 feet and was heading south. The airplane then began to climb, and, 10 seconds later, the airplane had reached an altitude of 577 ft; it then began to descend and reached an altitude of 404 ft 7 seconds later, still on a southerly heading. The descent continued, and, 3 seconds later, the last recorded data point revealed that the airplane was at an altitude of 135 ft and a groundspeed of 124 knots on a southwesterly heading. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree on the golf course, traveled about 200 feet on a westerly heading before impacting a second tree, and came to rest about 60 feet west of the second tree in the middle of a fairway. Multiple witnesses on the golf course reported that the airplane was flying low on a southerly heading and that they heard the engine surge just before impact. All airplane components necessary for flight were accounted for at the accident site. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot likely took off and then realized that the ceiling was too low and the fog too dense for safe flight and attempted to return to the airport. The engine surge likely occurred as the pilot saw the tree just before impact.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 8, 2014, about 0807 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182F, N5816B, was substantially damaged following impact with terrain at a golf course near Fall City, Washington. The certified private pilot, who was the owner and sole occupant of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. The local flight was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and a flight plan was not filed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area of the accident at the time of the event. The flight departed the Fall City Airport (1WA6), about 2 minutes prior to the accident, with its destination being Harvey Field (S43), Snohomish, Washington. In a postaccident interview, a family member reported that the purpose of the flight was for the pilot to take the airplane to S43 to undergo its scheduled annual inspection. The family member opined that the pilot would have never taken off into the fog, that he was a very meticulous and cautious pilot in all regards, and that on many occasions the pilot would cancel a flight if there was the slightest discrepancy with the airplane. Several witnesses who were at the golf course at the time of the accident submitted statements to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC). One witness reported that he heard the airplane, but could not see it due to the fog and low ceiling, which was about 50 feet above ground level (agl). One witness stated that he looked toward the noise and observed the airplane heading west barely off of the ground prior to the right wing impacting a tree and subsequently hitting a second tree. A second witness, who reported that the overcast condition was between 100 to 150 feet agl, stated that he heard the sound of a sputtering engine, which was immediately followed by a loud thud, "…and suddenly there was a plane, upside down, in the middle of the 9th fairway." A third witness estimated that the fog was about 20 feet off of the ground, and that he heard the airplane flying over, but could not see it. He heard the engine "…throttling up, then back, and then throttling up really heavy" right before impact. A fourth witness reported that the vertical visibility was about 75 feet due to the fog. He heard the airplane take off, which he thought was to the west, made a right turn, headed north, then made a left turn heading south over the Snoqualmie River. The witness stated that he observed the airplane flying directly overhead about 75 feet heading south, and then about 5 seconds later heard one explosion. A fifth witness reported, that while he never saw the airplane due to the very low fog, he believed he heard it flying for about 1 to 2 minutes during which he heard the engine throttle up, then throttle back before the airplane impacted the tree. The airplane was recovered to a secure location for future examination. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 70, possessed a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. Information provided by the pilot on the application for his airman medical certificate on March 13, 2013, revealed a total flying time of 490 hours, 477 hours in make and model, and 20 hours accumulated in the six months previous to the accident. Records revealed that the pilot had received 75 hours of dual instruction in the accident airplane. The pilot was issued a Special Issuance Third-Class Medical Certificate, with the restriction "Not valid for any class after March 31, 2015. The pilot successfully completed his most recent flight review on August 23, 2012, in the same make and model as the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The four-seat, fixed-gear, high-wing airplane, serial number (SN) 33816 was manufactured in 1956. It was powered by a Continental Motors Inc. (CMI) O-470-L-1 engine (SN 66818-6-L), equipped with a McCauley 2A34C66-OP propeller (SN 806983). The airplane's airframe and engine logbooks were not located during the investigation. According to records provided by the maintenance facility that maintained the airplane, the most recent annual inspection occurred between July 9, 2013, and December 6, 2013. During this time frame, a 500-hour magneto inspection was conducted and the muffler was replaced. A work order dated between July 26, 2011, and August 5, 2011, indicated that the standby vacuum pump was placarded inoperative in accordance with Airworthiness Directive (AD) 99-24-10. In May 2006, a JPI EDM 700 was installed in the airplane. At the accident site, the tachometer reading indicated 471.1 hours. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION On the morning of the accident, all airport reporting facilities within the surrounding area indicated clear sky conditions with light winds. The airport from which the accident airplane departed was located about 1/2 mile east of a river that borders the golf course's west boundary. Individuals on the golf course at the time of the accident reported a low cloud ceiling, and that the fog condition was such that tree-tops were obscured. At 0753, the weather reporting facility located at the Renton Municipal Airport (RNT), Renton, Washington, which was the closest facility with weather reporting capabilities, about 14 nm southwest of the accident site, reported wind 310° at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 19°C, dew point 16°C, and an altimeter reading of 30.06 inches of mercury. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION A survey of the accident site by representatives from the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the airplane had initially impacted an 80-ft high tree about the 15-foot level with its right outboard wing section on a measured magnetic heading of 270 degrees. The airplane then proceeded across a fairway on the golf course heading west for about 200 ft prior to colliding head on with a second tree of equal height as the first, and at the 18-foot level at a high rate of speed; the engine separated from the airplane, and was located at the base of the tree. The airplane, minus its engine, then traveled another 60 ft to the west before coming to rest on its right side in the middle of an adjacent fairway on a measured magnetic heading of 090 degrees. The airplane was observed to have been severely fragmented due to impact forces, and there was no postcrash fire. All components necessary for flight were accounted for at the accident site. A survey of the accident site revealed that debris was scattered over an area of about 510 feet in length on an east/west orientation, and about 125 feet in width on a north/south orientation The cabin and cockpit areas were observed mangled, crushed, and exhibited major deformation as a result of high impact forces. The aft passenger seats and right pilot seat remain intact, while the left pilot seat had separated from the cockpit due to impact forces. The instrument panel was observed completely distorted and peeled away in a downward direction from the fuselage. The instrument panel cover, inclusive of the tachometer, ADF, VOR, transponder and directional gyro were located about 30 feet west of the second impact point, and just east of the main wreckage. Both left and right control yokes were bent and deformed. The inboard one-third of the right wing was observed imbedded in a tree, which was the first point of impact (FPI) during the accident sequence. The remainder of the wing was fragmented due to impact forces, and scattered along a linear debris path to the west for 80 feet. The inboard section of the wing was located about 200 feet west of the FPI. The wing's flap was separated from the wing, and located about 30 ft southwest of the second point of impact, which was a tree. The wing's aileron was observed in the debris field about 25 feet southwest of the FPI, and remained attached to the associated wing's trailing edge. The wing's fuel tank was destroyed during the impact sequen