Cessna 182T N3525T accident near Santee, California

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to take off into instrument meteorological conditions that resulted in spatial disorientation, and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and passenger were departing on a cross-country flight. A video recorded by one of the witnesses showed the airplane in a climb when it entered low-level fog. A short time later, the airplane reappeared out of the fog traveling back toward the airport in a descending left turn. The nose of the airplane had pitched up, and the airplane descended out of view of the camera below the rooftops of several buildings. Another witness at the accident site reported that the airplane descended in a nose and left-wing low attitude to ground impact. Four witnesses in the surrounding area reported a low-level fog and one reported visibility about 1 mile, and another witness estimated that the airplane entered the fog bank about 500 ft above ground level.

The pilot received a preflight weather briefing, which indicated instrument meteorological conditions at the departure airport around the time of departure. The pilot was instrument-rated but had filed a visual flight plan rather than an instrument flight plan for the accident flight. A review of the pilot's logbook indicated a total of 62.6 hours of simulated instrument flight time, 1.6 hours of which was in the 90 days before the accident, but no actual instrument flight time.

After taking off into instrument meteorological conditions, it is likely that the pilot became spatially disoriented when he entered the reduced visibility of the fog. While maneuvering back to the airport, the airplane subsequently exceeded its critical angle of attack and aerodynamically stalled.

An examination of the airplane's airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR18FA084 for the full record.