Piper PA-32-300 N9235Z

Summary

On 1 February 1990 at about 02:29 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N9235Z, operated by ROY E. Stiner, was involved in an accident near Coalgate, Oklahoma, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 February 1990 at 02:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Coalgate, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

34.5294, -96.2097

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N9235Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

ROY E. Stiner

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

McAlester → Ardmore

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW90FA062

4 people died.

FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS BY THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INOPERATIVE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS, DARK NIGHT, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, UNRELIABLE FLASHLIGHT, THE PILOT'S VISUAL PERCEPTION, AND HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT WAS 1 OF 3 USED IN A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN IN OKLAHOMA. AFTER LNDG AT MCALESTER, THE PLT WENT WITH THE CAMPAIGN GROUP WHILE THE OTR 2 PLTS STAYED AT THE ARPT & CHECKED THE WX. AFTER THE GROUP RTRND, FLT TO THE NEXT STOP (IDABEL) WASCANCELED DUE TO BAD WX. THE NON-INST RATED PLT ELECTED TO RTRN AT NGT TO ARDMORE, THOUGH HE HAD SAID THE INST PANEL LGTSWERE INOP. HE TRIED TO OBTAIN BATTERIES FOR HIS FLASHLIGHT AT THE ARPT, BUT WAS UNABLE. THE PLT OF N9235Z DID NOT GET ANFAA WX BRIEFING. HE ASKED 1 OF THE OTR PLTS ABOUT THE WX & WAS TOLD IT WAS BAD AT ARDMORE, BUT WAS BETTER TO THE NORTH &NORTHWEST. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT FLEW NRLY AN HR BFR IT CRASHED NEAR COALGATE. A PERSON, WHO HEARD THE CRASH, SAID THEVIS WAS POOR & THE NGT WAS VERY DARK; ALSO, HE SAID A STORM OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER THE PLANE FLEW OVER. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A STEEP, NOSE DOWN, INVERTED ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FND. THE 2055 CST WX AT ARDMORE WAS IN PART: 600' OVC, VIS 7 MI WITH LGT RAIN & FOG. THE ACFT WAS FND ON A FARM ON 2/4/90 BY THE LAND OWNER.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.