ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 196582
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| Date: | Saturday 8 July 2017 |
| Time: | 09:42 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-181 Archer III |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N793MA |
| MSN: | 2843193 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A4M |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Washington County near Beverly, OH -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Logansport, IN (GGP) |
| Parkersburg, WV (PKB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot and the passenger were making an instrument flight rules personal cross-country flight in the airplane. Radar data showed that the airplane was in cruise flight about 7,000 ft mean sea level (msl) until the pilot began a descent toward the initial approach fix for the GPS approach to the destination airport. Cloud tops in the area were about 6,200 to 6,900 ft msl; thus, the airplane likely entered clouds (instrument meteorological conditions) as it descended. The final 2.5 minutes of the radar data revealed erratic turns left and right, which were consistent with the pilot becoming spatially disorientated while descending in instrument meteorological conditions. The last radar point recorded the airplane about 2,950 ft msl or about 2,100 ft above ground level (agl); the reported cloud base at the destination airport was 1,200 ft agl. A witness reported that low overcast clouds were present as he heard the airplane fly overhead. The witness saw the airplane exit the clouds in a steep angle of descent with the engine operating at high power. The airplane disappeared behind a tree line and a few seconds later impacted a reservoir. The deviation from the intended flight path, erratic maneuvering, and steep descent in instrument meteorological conditions are consistent with spatial disorientation. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The engine and propeller exhibited signatures consistent with high engine power at impact. The vacuum pump remained intact and did not exhibit any preimpact anomalies.
Although the pilot held an instrument rating, his total instrument flight experience could not be determined. The pilot's autopsy revealed severe coronary artery disease that put him at risk of an acute coronary event; however, it is unlikely that symptoms of shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, or fainting would lead to the type of airplane performance findings present in this case. Therefore, it is unlikely the pilot's heart disease contributed to the accident. Although the coroner's toxicology testing identified ethanol, the fact that it was absent on two other tests of liver and brain tissue indicates it was from sources other than ingestion and did not contribute to the accident. There is no evidence of a medical condition or substance that contributed to this accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation in instrument meteorological conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N793MA
? https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N793MA/history/20170708/1130Z/KGGP/KPKB
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 13 December 2002 | N793MA | 0 | Greensburg, Indiana | |
sub | |
| 9 April 2006 | N793MA | Raj Airlines | 0 | Logansport, Indiana | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Jul-2017 04:14 | Geno | Added |
| 11-Jul-2017 17:26 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 22-Mar-2019 19:10 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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