ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 245393
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 6 December 2020 |
| Time: | 06:25 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-301T Turbo Saratoga SP |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8178Y |
| MSN: | 32R8029074 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3503 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Windom, MN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Windom Municipal Airport, MN (KMWM) |
| McMinnville-Warren County Airport, TN (RNC/KRNC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
After receiving an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance for departure from the nontower-controlled airport, the pilot departed in night instrument meteorological conditions, which included an overcast ceiling at 400 ft above ground level. Radar data indicated that, during the initial climb, the airplane made multiple turns with large heading changes, then impacted terrain about 2.5 miles from the departure end of the runway. The distribution of the wreckage indicated a high-energy impact with terrain consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation.
A postaccident examination revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The most recent instrument approach recorded in the pilot's logbook was about 5 months before the accident; this was the only instrument approach recorded during the 6 months preceding the accident.
Toxicology testing identified citalopram and its metabolite, N-desmethylcitalopram, in the pilot's liver tissue, but not in muscle tissue. Citalopram is an antidepressant that has not been shown to cause intellectual or psychomotor impairment. However, it is a psychoactive drug and carries a warning about the operation of machinery until the patient is convinced that the use of the drug does not interfere with their performance.
In 2013, the pilot reported using an antidepressant and had undergone a review of his diagnosis of depression and its treatment and received a special issuance certificate. During subsequent medical certification, the pilot reported he was no longer taking the antidepressant medication. The pilot's wife reported that the pilot was in good spirits during the months before the accident and that he was looking forward to meeting with a professional football player at the destination. Based on the information available, it was unlikely that the pilot was severely fatigued or depressed on the day of the accident and it is unlikely that the effects from the pilot's treated medical condition contributed to his decision to fly in instrument conditions or his failure to do so safely.
The pilot's lack of recent experience in IFR conditions and the night instrument conditions present at the time of the accident were conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. It is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation shortly after takeoff, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and impact with terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's spatial disorientation shortly after takeoff into night instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in loss of airplane control and subsequent impact with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN21LA075
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
The NTSB is investigating the crash Sunday of a Piper PA-32R in Windom, Minnesota.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) December 6, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Dec-2020 20:43 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 07-Dec-2020 00:57 | RobertMB | Updated [Departure airport, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 07-Dec-2020 06:40 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Dec-2020 13:44 | RobertMB | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 08-Jul-2021 17:40 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 07-Jul-2022 19:06 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Cn, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
| 08-Jul-2022 15:29 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Phase, Narrative, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation