FTW86FA092

Factual narrative

ACFT ON A NIGHT XC FLT IN MARGINAL VFR TO IMC CONDITIONS IMPACTED IN AN 80 DEG NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE IN A LEFT SPIRAL. IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PVT PLT HAD INDICATED THAT HE WAS IMC AND WAS GOING TO ATTEMPT TO CLIMB OUT OF IT. RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT THE ACFT STARTED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN AND THEN ENTERED A LEFT SPIRALING DESCENT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR GYRO HAD FAILED AND WAS NOT ROTATING AT OPERATIONAL RPM AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE VACUUM PUMP AND THE HSI GYRO INDICATED THAT THEY WERE OPERATING NORMALLY. THERE WAS NO INTERNAL FAILURE IN THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR AND THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED DUE TO THE LEVEL OF DAMAGE SUSTAINED IN THE FIRE WALL AND INSTRUMENT PANEL AREAS. THE PVT PLT HAD LAST PRACTICED INSTRUMENT FLT 3 YEARS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12