Cirrus SR-22 G7 | N319TM

The DTSB determines the Probable cause of this accident to be Pilot Error, in that the accident pilot intended to enter known IMC conditions as a single Pilot IFR departure with destination KRDU. Upon entering IMC conditions, he became distracted and task saturated. The controller instructed the pilot to:
1) “ident,” and
2) the pilot acknowledged the instruction (used PTT and voice) , the controller instructed the pilot to
3) climb to 3,000 feet and
4) turn right to a heading of 180°; however, the pilot did not reply. The accident pilot became focused on replying to ATC, and complying with all of the ATC instructions, and managing electronics in front of him. He did not realize that his aircraft was turning left and descending. The accident flight was straight and normal up until the point where radio contact with ATC was begun, and the IFR workload suddenly increased.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all aircraft rehearse and condition themselves for this killer AQP scenario. After takeoff and upon entering IMC conditions, fly the last ATC clearance as received and delay contacting departure control, and prioritize focus on aircraft path. Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.