ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36309
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Date: | Saturday 22 January 1994 |
Time: | 21:05 LT |
Type: | Piper PA-28-181 |
Owner/operator: | Northstar Aviation, Inc. |
Registration: | N4510N |
MSN: | 28-8090035 |
Total airframe hrs: | 3837 hours |
Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A4M |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Waseca, MN -
United States of America
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | Rochester, MN (KRST) |
Destination airport: | Mankato, MN (KMKT) |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT GOT A WX BRIEFING AT ABOUT 1600 CST FROM THE MINNESOTA WX ADVISORY SERVICE & DEPARTED MANKATO ON A FLIGHT TO ROCHESTER. EN ROUTE, HE HAD A RADIO PROBLEM, BUT RECEIVED LIGHT SIGNALS FROM TOWER FOR CLEARANCE TO LAND. HE ARRANGED FOR LIGHT SIGNALS TO TAKEOFF & DEPARTED IN CLEAR WEATHER AT ABOUT 1810 ON A NIGHT FLIGHT BACK TO MANKATO. BY THAT TIME, MANKATO WX WAS 900' TO 1100' BROKEN WITH DECREASING VISIBILITY. BEFORE REACHING MANKATO, THE PLANE REVERSED COURSE & CRASHED IN A SNOW COVERED FIELD (1-1/4 MI NW OF WASECA AIRPORT, HDG 100 DEG, ELEV 1020'). RADAR DATA SHOWED IT HAD MANEUVERED BETWEEN 2000' & 5300' BEFORE DESCENDING BELOW RADAR COVERAGE AT 2200'. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE WAS FOUND. LOCAL RESIDENTS SAID THE WEATHER CHANGED ABRUPTLY BETWEEN 1830 & 1900, WHEN A DENSE FOG DEVELOPED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT ABOUT 1905. LOGBOOK RECORDS SHOWED THE PILOT HAD 117 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME, INCLUDING 2 HRS SIMULATED INSTRUMENT TIME. FOG WAS NOT FORECAST UNTIL AN AMENDED FORECAST WAS ISSUED AT ABOUT 1945.
Probable Cause: CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE (OR CLEARANCE) ABOVE THE GROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: AN INACCURATE WEATHER FORECAST BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT WITH A KNOWN DEFICIENCY IN EQUIPMENT (RADIO), DARKNESS, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE PILOT'S PROBABLE SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Accident investigation:
|
| |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Report number: | CHI94FA067 |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Duration: | 11 months |
Download report: | Final report |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI94FA067
Location
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
24-Oct-2008 10:30 |
ASN archive |
Added |
21-Dec-2016 19:22 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
10-Apr-2024 09:08 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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