Piper PA-28-181 N8422U

Summary

On 21 August 1983 at about 20:34 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8422U, operated by James Anthony Rieganek, was involved in an accident near Box Elder, South Dakota, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 August 1983 at 20:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Box Elder, South Dakota, United States

Coordinates

44.1101, -103.0699

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N8422U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

James Anthony Rieganek

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Little Falls → Rapid City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN83FTK04

1 person was seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

BEFORE REACHING HIS DESTINATION, THE PLT CONTACTED APCH CONTROL & REPORTED THAT HE WAS ABOUT 40 MI AWAY & WAS LOW ON FUEL. ABOUT 10 MIN LATER, THE ACFT RAN OUT OF FUEL. THE PLT STATED THAT HE 'COULD POSSIBLY MAKE ELLSWORTH' BUT THE CONTROLLER TOLD HIM THAT ELLSWORTH AFB WAS CLOSED (FOR AN AIRSHOW). THE PLT THEN TURNED AWAY FROM THE AFB & SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND IN A FIELD. INITIAL IMPACT WAS WITH A TREE. THE ACFT THEN CRASHED TO THE GROUND & CAME TO REST IN A CREEK. THE PLT'S WIFE SUFFERED A BROKEN LEG & WAS UNCONSCIOUS FOR 5 DAYS. SHE NEARLY DROWNED AFTER THE PLANE CRASHED, BUT THE PLT & ANOTHER PERSON HELD HER HEAD OUT OF WATER UNTIL SHE COULD BE EXTRICATED FROM THE WRECKAGE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.