Narrative:

My friend and I were on an IFR flight in cessna that left anoka county, minnesota to mobridge, south dakota on fri/sep/94. We were northeast of the aberdeen VOR when we had communications with center. Center: 'what is your heading?' '2 -- (something, I don't remember exactly.)' center: 'turn to 240 direct to aberdeen VOR.' I turned the aircraft to 240 with the heading bug, checked my gauges and started talking to my friend. He was holding the VFR map. He said according to the DME we were 5.1 from the VOR. I said take my little yellow ruler out of my flight bag and you can measure where we are. He proceeded to get the ruler and put it on the map. He wasn't holding the ruler over the VOR symbol so I began to point where to hold the ruler. He indicated where we were on the map and I looked back to the gauges. At this time, the airplane took a violent sharp left turn and a down nose attitude. I immediately began to pull back on the yoke. Looking at the artificial horizontal, it was 90 degrees to the fixed airplane. I felt a g-force on my body and realized that I was tightening the turn. I released the amount of force I was applying to the control and immediately started to level the wings. When I got the wings level I started to pull back on the control. Again there was a fair amount of g-force in this pull up. When the airplane was in the climb I looked at the artificial horizon to see where I was and the gauge flipped 180 degrees from a right side up to upside down. While still looking at it, it flipped again 180 degrees from upside down to right side up. I immediately looked at the turn coordinator to see if the wings were level (they were). I looked at the directional gyroscope and saw it was not turning. Then I looked at the vertical speed indicator and saw I had the vsi pegged at 2000 FPM ascent. I looked at the airspeed indicator and saw I was indicating very low airspeed. I pushed in on the controller to bring the nose down and immediately began a descent. The vsi pegged in descent. I pulled the control back and felt the g-force. I remember saying to myself I have to slow the airplane down or I'm going into the ground. Center called on the frequency and asked, 'what is your altitude?' I responded, 'I am too busy to let you know.' seatback had snapped and he was lying in a prone position. I immediately pulled the throttle back and dropped the landing gear. I was nose high and started to lose airspeed. At this time, I pushed the nose over and started to free fall getting a lot of negative g-force. Everything in the airplane that wasn't strapped down was on the ceiling. As the airplane came over and started to pick up speed, I started to apply a little back pressure on the control and I came out of the overcast in an approximately 60 degree angle to the ground. I immediately leveled the airplane and looked around for ground reference. I saw the highway on my left and knew it should be on the right. I turned 180 degrees and immediately picked up the aberdeen airport. I found my charts and dialed in the frequency of the airport to let anyone know I was in the vicinity and was landing runway 13. I heard on the frequency, 'cessna landing aberdeen, let me know when you are on the ground, we are in a hold.' I communicated back that I would and proceeded to land. When I landed and cleared the runway I called back on the frequency and told them I was clear of the active. The aircraft on the frequency idented themselves as a commuter and asked me to meet them on the ground because they had a phone number for me to call. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter revealed that the air carrier DH-8 was inbound to the VOR as he was crossing that same VOR. He, and others that were involved in this post flight analysis, think that there was a chance encounter with wake turbulence from the DH-8. The DH-8 was a 7000 ft, above him and inbound into the VOR or in a hold. When the reporter contacted the controller, the controller would not or could not give him specific information regarding the position of that other aircraft. Autoplt was checked and nothing was found wrong with that equipment. The gyro, HSI, was replaced after failing on a ground check after the incident. It was discovered to be an 'older' type, with a different serial number than that on the aircraft's log and registry. It is assumed that the previous owner switched HSI's when the aircraft was sold to the flying club. The turn and bank indicator/coupler to the autoplt was found to have a spurious plus or minus voltage to 1 side and was therefore changed. The aircraft suffered damage during this event, having experienced 3 stalls of a violent nature. The wings were bent so that 2 ribs and the rear spars had to be replaced. The FAA subjected the reporter to a flight check for proficiency determination. Passed ok. Reporter knows how he failed in his basic attitude flying and is getting more practice time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT IN LOSS OF ACFT CTL EVENT, SINGLE PLT IFR, IMC. SENSORY ILLUSIONS PREVAILED AFTER LOSS OF HSI.

Narrative: MY FRIEND AND I WERE ON AN IFR FLT IN CESSNA THAT LEFT ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA TO MOBRIDGE, S DAKOTA ON FRI/SEP/94. WE WERE NE OF THE ABERDEEN VOR WHEN WE HAD COMS WITH CTR. CTR: 'WHAT IS YOUR HDG?' '2 -- (SOMETHING, I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY.)' CTR: 'TURN TO 240 DIRECT TO ABERDEEN VOR.' I TURNED THE ACFT TO 240 WITH THE HDG BUG, CHKED MY GAUGES AND STARTED TALKING TO MY FRIEND. HE WAS HOLDING THE VFR MAP. HE SAID ACCORDING TO THE DME WE WERE 5.1 FROM THE VOR. I SAID TAKE MY LITTLE YELLOW RULER OUT OF MY FLT BAG AND YOU CAN MEASURE WHERE WE ARE. HE PROCEEDED TO GET THE RULER AND PUT IT ON THE MAP. HE WASN'T HOLDING THE RULER OVER THE VOR SYMBOL SO I BEGAN TO POINT WHERE TO HOLD THE RULER. HE INDICATED WHERE WE WERE ON THE MAP AND I LOOKED BACK TO THE GAUGES. AT THIS TIME, THE AIRPLANE TOOK A VIOLENT SHARP L TURN AND A DOWN NOSE ATTITUDE. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO PULL BACK ON THE YOKE. LOOKING AT THE ARTIFICIAL HORIZ, IT WAS 90 DEGS TO THE FIXED AIRPLANE. I FELT A G-FORCE ON MY BODY AND REALIZED THAT I WAS TIGHTENING THE TURN. I RELEASED THE AMOUNT OF FORCE I WAS APPLYING TO THE CTL AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO LEVEL THE WINGS. WHEN I GOT THE WINGS LEVEL I STARTED TO PULL BACK ON THE CTL. AGAIN THERE WAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF G-FORCE IN THIS PULL UP. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS IN THE CLB I LOOKED AT THE ARTIFICIAL HORIZON TO SEE WHERE I WAS AND THE GAUGE FLIPPED 180 DEGS FROM A R SIDE UP TO UPSIDE DOWN. WHILE STILL LOOKING AT IT, IT FLIPPED AGAIN 180 DEGS FROM UPSIDE DOWN TO R SIDE UP. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED AT THE TURN COORDINATOR TO SEE IF THE WINGS WERE LEVEL (THEY WERE). I LOOKED AT THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AND SAW IT WAS NOT TURNING. THEN I LOOKED AT THE VERT SPD INDICATOR AND SAW I HAD THE VSI PEGGED AT 2000 FPM ASCENT. I LOOKED AT THE AIRSPD INDICATOR AND SAW I WAS INDICATING VERY LOW AIRSPD. I PUSHED IN ON THE CTLR TO BRING THE NOSE DOWN AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A DSCNT. THE VSI PEGGED IN DSCNT. I PULLED THE CTL BACK AND FELT THE G-FORCE. I REMEMBER SAYING TO MYSELF I HAVE TO SLOW THE AIRPLANE DOWN OR I'M GOING INTO THE GND. CTR CALLED ON THE FREQ AND ASKED, 'WHAT IS YOUR ALT?' I RESPONDED, 'I AM TOO BUSY TO LET YOU KNOW.' SEATBACK HAD SNAPPED AND HE WAS LYING IN A PRONE POS. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE THROTTLE BACK AND DROPPED THE LNDG GEAR. I WAS NOSE HIGH AND STARTED TO LOSE AIRSPD. AT THIS TIME, I PUSHED THE NOSE OVER AND STARTED TO FREE FALL GETTING A LOT OF NEGATIVE G-FORCE. EVERYTHING IN THE AIRPLANE THAT WASN'T STRAPPED DOWN WAS ON THE CEILING. AS THE AIRPLANE CAME OVER AND STARTED TO PICK UP SPD, I STARTED TO APPLY A LITTLE BACK PRESSURE ON THE CTL AND I CAME OUT OF THE OVCST IN AN APPROX 60 DEG ANGLE TO THE GND. I IMMEDIATELY LEVELED THE AIRPLANE AND LOOKED AROUND FOR GND REF. I SAW THE HWY ON MY L AND KNEW IT SHOULD BE ON THE R. I TURNED 180 DEGS AND IMMEDIATELY PICKED UP THE ABERDEEN ARPT. I FOUND MY CHARTS AND DIALED IN THE FREQ OF THE ARPT TO LET ANYONE KNOW I WAS IN THE VICINITY AND WAS LNDG RWY 13. I HEARD ON THE FREQ, 'CESSNA LNDG ABERDEEN, LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU ARE ON THE GND, WE ARE IN A HOLD.' I COMMUNICATED BACK THAT I WOULD AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. WHEN I LANDED AND CLRED THE RWY I CALLED BACK ON THE FREQ AND TOLD THEM I WAS CLR OF THE ACTIVE. THE ACFT ON THE FREQ IDENTED THEMSELVES AS A COMMUTER AND ASKED ME TO MEET THEM ON THE GND BECAUSE THEY HAD A PHONE NUMBER FOR ME TO CALL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR REVEALED THAT THE ACR DH-8 WAS INBOUND TO THE VOR AS HE WAS XING THAT SAME VOR. HE, AND OTHERS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THIS POST FLT ANALYSIS, THINK THAT THERE WAS A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE TURB FROM THE DH-8. THE DH-8 WAS A 7000 FT, ABOVE HIM AND INBOUND INTO THE VOR OR IN A HOLD. WHEN THE RPTR CONTACTED THE CTLR, THE CTLR WOULD NOT OR COULD NOT GIVE HIM SPECIFIC INFO REGARDING THE POS OF THAT OTHER ACFT. AUTOPLT WAS CHKED AND NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG WITH THAT EQUIP. THE GYRO, HSI, WAS REPLACED AFTER FAILING ON A GND CHK AFTER THE INCIDENT. IT WAS DISCOVERED TO BE AN 'OLDER' TYPE, WITH A DIFFERENT SERIAL NUMBER THAN THAT ON THE ACFT'S LOG AND REGISTRY. IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER SWITCHED HSI'S WHEN THE ACFT WAS SOLD TO THE FLYING CLUB. THE TURN AND BANK INDICATOR/COUPLER TO THE AUTOPLT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A SPURIOUS PLUS OR MINUS VOLTAGE TO 1 SIDE AND WAS THEREFORE CHANGED. THE ACFT SUFFERED DAMAGE DURING THIS EVENT, HAVING EXPERIENCED 3 STALLS OF A VIOLENT NATURE. THE WINGS WERE BENT SO THAT 2 RIBS AND THE REAR SPARS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE FAA SUBJECTED THE RPTR TO A FLT CHK FOR PROFICIENCY DETERMINATION. PASSED OK. RPTR KNOWS HOW HE FAILED IN HIS BASIC ATTITUDE FLYING AND IS GETTING MORE PRACTICE TIME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.