Cirrus SR20 N255JB accident near Daytona Beach, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions (fog) during initial climb, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.

NTSB analysis

The instrument-rated private pilot had filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for the cross-country flight, but intended to depart under visual flight rules conditions and open his IFR flight plan shortly after takeoff. He stated that, during the preflight inspection, he did not see any low clouds and was able to see stars above him. The airplane departed shortly before sunrise, and the pilot stated that, while retracting the flaps after takeoff, he encountered low-level fog about 300 ft agl and the airplane entered instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot made a right turn to avoid the final approach course to the opposite runway, then saw a tree and attempted to avoid impacting it; he then recalled waking up in the airplane on the ground. Weather conditions near the accident site about the time of the accident included scattered clouds at 500 ft and a visibility of 6 miles in mist. The series of events described by the pilot was consistent with a loss of control due to spatial disorientation, likely due to the unexpected loss of visibility during the initial climb.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA17LA113 for the full record.