Brenholt Larry R RV-4 N25UA

Summary

On 20 July 2012 at about 12:35 local time, a Brenholt Larry R RV-4 registered N25UA, operated by Murphy Ronald J, was involved in an accident near Cedartown, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 2012 at 12:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Cedartown, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

33.9033, -85.3486

Aircraft

Brenholt Larry R RV-4

Registration

N25UA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Murphy Ronald J

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hilliard → MCminnville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12FA467

1 person died.

The non-instrument-rated pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering for a forced landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument-rated pilot departed on a cross-country visual flight rules flight. It is unknown whether he obtained a weather briefing before the flight. About an hour and a half after departing, he encountered instrument meteorological conditions. Witnesses described hearing the airplane, but they could not see the airplane due to the inclement weather. The airplane impacted the ground in a left-wing-low and nose-down attitude, indicating that the airplane likely stalled. Based on the witness descriptions of the airplane circling above, it is likely that the pilot was trying to navigate out of the inclement weather, did not maintain airspeed, and lost control. Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations. The accident site was located within an area covered by an AIRMET for instrument flight rules conditions due to ceilings below 1,000 feet above ground level (agl) and for visibility less than 3 miles. The location was also immediately south of the boundary for a convective SIGMET for an area of embedded thunderstorms moving southeasterly at 20 knots with cloud tops to 45,000 feet agl. Witnesses reported low ceilings, rain, and fog at the time of the accident. Although venlafaxine, which can cause drowsiness, weakness, or dizziness, was found in the pilot’s blood, the levels were such that the investigation was unable to determine if the pilot was impaired at the time of the accident. The investigation also did not determine if he was affected by the underlying psychiatric disorder this medication would have been used to treat.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.