Loss of control Accident Piper PA-28-180 Archer N57312,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 180364
 
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:Tuesday 13 October 2015
Time:17:33
Type:Silhouette image of generic P28A model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-28-180 Archer
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N57312
MSN: 28-7405042
Year of manufacture:1973
Total airframe hrs:6199 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O-360-A4A
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:near Palm Beach County Park Airport (KLNA), West Palm Beach, FL -   United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Kissimmee, FL (ISM)
Destination airport:Lantana, FL (LNA)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot utilized the destination airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) to report that he was 3 miles east of the airport and that he planned to enter a midfield left downwind leg for the runway. He then reported on that he was turning a left base leg for the runway. No further communications were received from the pilot. A radar plot showed the airplane flying past the runway centerline and then making an S-turn before radar contact was lost. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot's autopsy revealed that he had significant heart disease with enlargement and wall thickening. He also had diffuse coronary artery disease with 75 percent stenosis of the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries and 25 percent stenosis of the left main and left circumflex coronary arteries. There was also mild calcification of the mitral valve leaflets. The pilot's coronary artery disease put him at a high risk for acute ischemia, which can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, or decreased blood pressure. He was also at increased risk for an arrhythmia, which can result in loss of consciousness. None of these events would leave visible evidence at autopsy. Given the circumstances of the accident and the pilot's cardiac conditions, it is possible that he became acutely impaired or incapacitated by symptoms from his cardiac disease and that this could have resulted in the loss of aircraft control. However, given the limited available information, it could not be determined whether the loss of control was the result of incapacitation or if there was another reason that the aircraft departed controlled flight and the pilot was unable to regain control.
Probable Cause: A loss of control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA16FA012
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N57312/history/20151013/2017Z

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
14-Oct-2015 04:42 Geno Added
14-Oct-2015 15:30 Geno Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source, Narrative]
14-Oct-2015 20:26 bovine Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source]
14-Oct-2015 22:37 Geno Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
15-Oct-2015 16:16 bovine Updated [Source]
21-Dec-2016 19:30 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
27-Jun-2017 18:17 PiperOnslaught Updated [Source, Narrative]
30-Jun-2017 18:12 Aerossurance Updated [Time, Location, Source]
19-Aug-2017 16:25 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org