WPR24FA105

The pilot’s continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an encounter with turbulence and structural icing conditions, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain.

The non-instrument-rated pilot departed into visual meteorological conditions (VMC) on a day cross-country flight. A power utility company experienced a powerline surge and dispatched a maintenance crew to investigate; upon arrival they discovered the wreckage of an airplane and alerted local authorities. Flight track data indicated that, after departure, the airplane proceeded on an easterly heading and ascended to 10,000 ft mean sea level (msl) toward the destination airport. The data indicated that the airplane made a series of altitude changes ranging from 10,000 to 13,300 ft msl and made a right descending turn before the recorded data ended. The airplane impacted sloping terrain in between high-power transmission lines. Witnesses near the accident site reported they observed the airplane descending in a spiraling motion toward the ground. They described the engine as getting louder as the airplane descended or winding up like it was in a dive, like aerobatics at an airshow. A witness noted that the airplane was intact while descending. Another witness reported there were rain showers in the area when they heard the engine. Review of weather information at the time of the accident and near the accident location indicated instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), icing conditions, and updrafts and downdrafts from mountain wave development. It is unknown if the pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing. All major structural components of the airplane were located within the wreckage path. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preexisting anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological testing of the pilot found no tested-for substances or medications that would have posed a hazard to flight safety or that likely would have contributed to the accident. Due to the condition of the remains, the autopsy did not determine whether any medical conditions were present that may have posed a hazard to flight safety or that may have contributed to the accident. The series of altitude changes were consistent with the pilot attempting to avoid IMC. While the satellite and local weather radar did show some altocumulus clouds and scattered echoes in the vicinity of the accident, the accident airplane was not in any significant echoes at the time the pilot lost control. Satellite imagery depicted the accident site covered by an area of mid-level clouds with cloud tops near the accident airplane’s cruising altitude at 12,500 ft msl. Icing is common near cloud tops, and the cloud top temperature supported the presence of supercooled liquid droplets. The sounding also depicted strong vertical wind shear near the cloud tops, which is a common feature with icing in cloud tops. IFR conditions, mountain obscuration, icing conditions, and strong surface winds were forecast for the period of the accident. Based on the flight and weather data, the pilot was likely attempting to overfly the layer of clouds, entered the upper portion of the clouds, then encountered moderate or greater turbulence and structural icing conditions that resulted in his loss of airplane control.

At the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated about 788 total hours of flight experience, of which 12 hours were in the 30 days preceding the accident. The logbook recovered was marked as number two and began on 6/27/2021. It contained no time logged of simulated or actual instrument flight. An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Oregon State Medical Examiner at the request of the Oregon State Police Office. According to the pilot’s autopsy report, his cause of death was blunt force injury and the manner of death was an accident. Toxicological testing was performed on heart and liver tissue, and no tested-for substances were detected. No medications were found that would have posed a hazard to flight safety or that likely would have contributed to this accident. On March 10, 2024, about 1503 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N3264W, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Madras, Oregon. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A review of ADS-B data showed that the flight departed from Aurora State Airport (UAO), Aurora, Oregon, at 1404:10, and proceeded on an easterly flight path as it ascended to 10,000 ft msl. At 1502:01 the airplane ascended to an altitude of 13,100 ft msl and its groundspeed began to decay from 118 kts to 74 kts. The data further showed that, at 1502:11, the airplane was at an altitude of 13,300 ft msl and it entered a descending right turn. The last recorded ADS-B data point was at 1503:28 at an altitude of 4,700 ft msl, about 0.2 miles southwest of the accident site. Figure 1.Profile view of the route of flight. About 1503, a power utility company experienced a powerline surge and sent a maintenance crew to investigate. About 1940, the crew discovered the wreckage of an airplane and alerted local authorities. Two witnesses located about 3 miles northwest of the accident site reported they observed the airplane descending in a spiraling motion towards the ground. One of the witnesses noted that the airplane was intact at the time. Another witness reported there were rain showers in the area when they heard the loud engine noise of the airplane. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted sloping terrain in between a north-south high-power transmission line about 7 miles southeast of the Madras Municipal Airport (S33), Madras, Oregon, at an elevation of 2,884 ft msl. A small post-crash fire ensued but extinguished quickly due to recent rains. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane engine came to rest on its right side with the remaining wreckage scattered between two 100-ft-tall high-tension powerline towers. The top high-tension static line that spanned the towers was observed cut and the main wreckage was nearly directly below the power lines. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) with terrain was a ground scar/impression approximately 5 ft deep, 12 ft wide, and 20 ft long into terrain at a magnetic heading of 130° with a debris path spread 300 ft both aft and forward of the impact area. The engine was separated from the engine mount and was located right side up on the ground just beyond the main impact crater, facing the opposite direction of the airplane’s direction of travel. All the major structural components of the airplane were located within the wreckage debris path. A portion of the high-tension static wire from the transmission powerline tower was found near the right wing. Figure 2. View of the impact site. Examination of the recovered wreckage revealed heavy fragmentation of the airplane structure. Both of the wings, the primary and secondary flight surfaces, the center section, the left and right horizontal stabilators, the elevators, and the vertical stabilizer with the rudder attached were separated. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preexisting anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was equipped with a JPI EDM-730/830 Engine Data monitor. The data was successfully downloaded and included data for the final five minutes of the flight. A meteorology study was performed with multiple weather products reviewed. The study found that the area of the accident site was located west of a cold front on the cold-air side of an occluded front. This front extended from a low-pressure system over southeast Alaska, through British Columbia, and into Washington, where the front was depicted as a cold front extending into Oregon southwestward, then into northern California. Geostationary satellite imagery depicted the accident site covered by an area of mid-level clouds with a radiative cloud top temperature of -16°C, which corresponded to cloud tops near the accident airplane’s cruising altitude at 12,500 ft msl based on the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh sounding. The sounding also depicted strong vertical wind shear near the cloud tops. Pilot reports supported the existence of light-to-moderate turbulence and light-to-moderate icing within 100 miles of the accident site surrounding the period of the accident flight. Graphic-Airmen’s Meteorological Information (G-AIRMET) forecast IFR conditions, mountain obscuration, icing conditions, and strong surface wind for the period of the accident. The investigation evaluated icing probability imagery for 11,000 ft/12,000 ft and the maximum composite image for about 1508 local time. The images depicted a large area of potential icing over western Oregon, over and west of the Cascades, with a clear area, and then a narrow southwest to northeast band of icing that extended over the accident site. The imagery indicated a probability of 40% to 50% for icing and a probability of approximately 20% to 45% of encountering supercooled large droplet (SLD) conditions at that time over the accident site. There was no record of the pilot having any contact with FAA contract Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) provider Leidos or any third-party vendors using the Lockheed Flight Service System on the day of the accident.