Missing Pilot From Cape Plane Crash Wasn't Cleared To Fly At Night: Report

CHATHAM, MA — The missing pilot of a plane that crashed off the coast of Cape Cod last month did not hold an instrumental rating, meaning he was not cleared to fly at night, according to a preliminary crash report the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released Tuesday.

Roger Mills, of Woburn, went down in a crash on Oct. 31 near Chatham. Three days later, a Massachusetts State Police dive team found the wreckage of Mills' single-engine Piper 28 plane.

The plane was found in 80 feet of water, 3 miles off North Beach. Mills' body wasn't found. Mills was the only person onboard the flight.

During the flight from Reading, Pennsylvania to Chatham Municipal Airport, Mills flew past the airport and attempted to turn back before Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials lost his signal, according to a timeline of the flight released by the NTSB. See a timeline of the flight below:

Plane crash timeline

12:03 p.m.: Mills' day started at Freeman Municipal Airport in Seymour, Indiana. The pilot fueled the plane with 53.8 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel.

12:56 p.m.: The plane departed Indiana.

4:23 p.m.: Mills landed at Reading Regional Airport and put 48.6 gallons of fuel in the plane.

4:53 p.m.: Mills took off towards Cape Cod. During the flight, the airplane flew at an altitude of about 8,000 feet, until it began its descent to Chatham Municipal Airport.

6:44 p.m.: The plane reached and maintained an altitude of 1,000 feet and overflew the airport. The airplane continued past the airport, turned northeast, and then flew over the ocean. The plane turned around, then turned again before the plane's altitude dropped from 1,025 to 675 feet.

6:49 p.m.: Aviation officials lost the plane's signal.

Around 7 p.m.: The plane crashed into the ocean near Orleans and was destroyed.

Nov. 3: The plane's wreckage was found at the bottom of the ocean, 80 feet down. The plane was about 2.5 miles from the Cape Cod National Seashore. Mills wasn't found.

A map of the plane's flight over the airport and the crash path can be found below:

NTSB officials said the FAA did not provide any air traffic control services during the flight.

According to FAA records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for
airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued
November 12, 2019. At that time, Mills had 300 hours of flight experience, of which 75
hours were within six months prior to his flight exam. Mills did not hold an instrument rating.

FAA records showed the airplane was built in 1979. The plane's most recent annual inspection was completed on Jan. 14, 2021. At the time of the inspection, the plane had more than 3,300 flight hours on it. Nearly 1,300 of those hours came after a major overhaul of the engine. Examination of the airframe and engine are pending recovery of the wreckage.