The purpose of the flight was to fly from the pilot’s private runway to Holyoke, Colorado, for an annual inspection.
About 0555, primary radar first picked up the Aviat A-1B about 1/2 mile south of the private runway. The airplane track proceeded generally west-southwest for about 11 miles when it made a left turn toward the south at a speed of about 88 knots. The track then made right 360° turn. During the turn, the speed of the airplane increased to about 114 knots.
That was followed by a tighter 360° turn at 49 knots and decreasing. The track then zig zagged at an average of 30 knots until 0609 when it terminated about 1,000 feet from the accident site in Berwyn, Nebraska.
The airplane was destroyed and the pilot was killed in the crash.
The airplane hit a field perpendicular to a gully in a very rural area. The debris field was about 300 feet long. The first identified point of impact was a long narrow area of disturbed dirt with the right wingtip nearby. Next were two slash marks consistent with propeller blade slices, followed by a large area of disturbed dirt with propeller blade fragments. The main wreckage came to rest at the bottom of the gully. The last major piece of debris was the engine.
The airframe came to rest in a ball and exhibited extensive thermal damage. The fabric was completely gone and only the frame remained. The rudder controls were untraceable within the cockpit as they were in an area of melted material. Both composite propeller blades were fracture separated at the blade root, and one blade was also fractured midspan. Both blades exhibited chordwise scratching on the face and chamber sides.
The engine exhibited extensive thermal damage and there were no visual signs of catastrophic anomalies.
At the time of the accident the moon was 22.97° above the horizon in third quarter phase. Its illumination was 45.1% of the moon’s full potential. There were no high-altitude cloud layers. Dawn started at 0636 and sunrise was at 0704.
The pilot, who had been flying since 1969, flew the Aviat regularly over his land and pastures and was used to maneuvering at low altitudes. It was not abnormal for him to takeoff before sunrise, especially if he needed to get somewhere and return in the same day.
Probable Cause: A loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain as a result of spatial disorientation during cruise in dark night conditions.
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This March 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
