NTSB accident number: CEN21LA121

Flight was conducted in the afternoon, clear skies calm winds; a private pilot with a flight instructor were on board. Both were 55 years of age.

NTSB report: “According to a co-owner of the airplane, the private pilot had just bought a share of the accident airplane and was in the process of accumulating flight hours for complex and high- performance aircraft endorsements. He was in the back seat of the airplane the day before when the two accidents pilots were conducting a training flight. He stated that the private pilot completed the flight maneuvers well and he did not notice anything of concern.”

“The recorded ADS-B data revealed that the airplane departed again at 1713 and proceeded south toward the Gulf coast. The data showed that the airplane maneuvered near the coast then proceeded north as the altitude and airspeed increased. The airplane reached about 4,500 ft above ground level (agl), as the airspeed decreased. The airplane began a slow descent, which increased rapidly until the final recorded point. In the last 12 seconds of recorded data, the airplane made a right turn and had descended about 3,200 ft. Figure 1 shows the end of the recorded flight track and the accident location.”

“Two witnesses were in close proximity to the accident site, but different locations, stated that they observed the airplane in a rapid descent with the nose pointed at the ground. They both observed the bottom of the airplane and did not notice any rotational movement.”

According to Kathryn’s Report, the Private pilot was 55 year old Richard Don Clements. The Flight instructor was 55 year old Joseph “Rock” Palermo, III. He was an FAA licensed Airline Transport Pilot with airplane, jet and helicopter ratings. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary, and held the rank of Colonel. He served as secretary of the board of the Lake Charles Regional Airport Authority.

Opinion: the men had already conducted a flight earlier that afternoon, and this flight had a ground track that seemed normal at the beginning, but by the increase in altitude and airspeed followed by a decrease in airspeed, then slow descent, I am assuming they became distracted by something. My personal thought is that there was a medical emergency, one of the pilots became incapacitated, and the other one tried to help/revive while also trying to fly the plane. Based on the aircraft nosing over and having a rapid descent, the pilot may have slouched over the controls. I am very interested in if there had been an autopsy, and if both pilots were wearing their full seatbelts.

If you know any details that you would like to provide anonymously to help this investigation, please email FFaccidentinvestigations@protonmail.com

*disclaimer: this blog and it’s author is not part of any official investigations. The views of the author does not reflect their employer, union, or any organizations they’re a part of. Any opinions by the author are theirs alone.*

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