ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 269288
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| Date: | Sunday 31 October 2021 |
| Time: | 19:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-236 Dakota |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N2186U |
| MSN: | 28-7911121 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3336 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Orleans, MA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Reading Regional Airport/Spaatz Field, PA (RDG/KRDG) |
| Chatham Municipal Airport, MA (KCQX) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On October 31, 2021, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-236 airplane, N2186U, was presumed destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Orleans, Massachusetts. The private pilot was not located and presumed fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The private pilot departed on a cross-country flight, and after takeoff, the airplane flew in a straight line at an altitude about 8,000 ft mean sea level (msl). It began a descent toward a presumed destination airport in dark night visual meteorological conditions. Continuing on the established track, the airplane descended to and maintained 1,000 ft msl. The flightpath turned slightly before the airplane overflew and continued past the destination airport, turned northeast and flew over the Atlantic Ocean, then made a 270° left turn to the southeast.
During the overwater portion of the flight, the airplane’s altitude varied between 750 ft and 1,100 ft msl. Before track data were lost, the airplane began a descending right turn from about 1,025 ft to 675 ft msl. The debris field located about 2.5 miles offshore and 7 miles from the destination airport. The airplane was not recovered.
The uniformity of the flight track and altitude data for most of the flight suggests that the pilot was using the airplane’s autopilot. After overflying the airport, the airplane’s track and altitude variations were consistent with the pilot having disengaged the autopilot to hand-fly the airplane; however, continued flight over the ocean would have resulted in a near absence of cultural lighting and external visual references, requiring the use of instruments to maintain control.
The pilot was neither qualified nor proficient to conduct the flight by reference to instruments and would have been vulnerable to the onset of spatial disorientation during the overwater portion of the flight. It is likely that, while maneuvering over the ocean, the pilot became spatially disoriented, resulting in a loss of control and impact with the water.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of airplane control while maneuvering over water in dark night conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/11/02/missing-plane-search-suspended-cape-cod-coast-guard/
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N2186U
NTSB
FAA ASIAS
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a1da77&lat=41.615&lon=-70.479&zoom=10.7&showTrace=2021-10-31&leg=2&trackLabels
https://www.charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/13248.pdf
https://media.sandhills.com/n2186u-1979-piper-dakota/img.axd?id=5086085193&wid=6072144879&rwl=False&p=&ext=&w=614&h=460&t=&lp=&c=True&wt=False&sz=Max&rt=0&checksum=NopOe0X8NnG9qX%2bgUQRGiYtRaif5ZJ1MfXWsn1V%2fw%2bw%3d (photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Nov-2021 11:20 | gerard57 | Added |
| 01-Nov-2021 15:37 | harro | Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport] |
| 01-Nov-2021 19:53 | 78Delta | Updated [Departure airport, Source] |
| 02-Nov-2021 17:03 | Richrd | Updated [Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 02-Nov-2021 17:05 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 02-Nov-2021 19:09 | Richrd | Updated [Category] |
| 03-Nov-2021 06:10 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Nov-2021 06:34 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Nov-2021 08:18 | Richrd | Updated [Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 03-Nov-2021 14:10 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Nov-2021 18:32 | aaronwk | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Nov-2021 16:59 | aaronwk | Updated [Narrative] |
| 24-Nov-2021 15:59 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category] |
| 14-Jul-2022 13:54 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Sep-2023 11:53 | Captain Adam | Updated [[Source, Narrative]] |
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