Piper PA-28-181 N24PT
20 May 1990 · East Lansing, Michigan, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 20 May 1990 at about 22:10 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N24PT, operated by J. J. Tiefenthaler, was involved in an accident near East Lansing, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- East Lansing, Michigan, United States
- Nearest airport
- Capital City (LAN)
- Coordinates
- 42.7591, -84.4591
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181
- Registration
- N24PT
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- J. J. Tiefenthaler
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Mason → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI90FA130
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL WHILE FLYING IN CLOUDS DURING AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH. FACTORS WERE: INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE, OPERATION WITH KNOWN DEFICIENCIES IN EQUIPMENT, AND ANXIETY/APPREHENSION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE AIRPLANE CRASHED WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR AN ASR APPROACH. THE REASON FOR THE FLIGHT WAS TO DELIVER THE AIRPLANE FOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. IMC PREVAILED. AFTER CHECKING WEATHER THREE TIMES THE PILOT TELEPHONED THE RADAR APPROACH CONTROL AND REQUESTED A SVFR CLEARANCE STATING THAT HE WOULD BE MAKING THE FLIGHT ON BATTERY POWER. AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT WAS ISSUED A CLEARANCE. AFTER AN INFLIGHT ADVISORY THAT WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE NOT FAVORABLE FOR SVFR HE REQUESTED AN IFR CLEARANCE AND WAS ASSIGNED VECTORS FOR AN ILS APPROACH. DURING THE APPROACH THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS HAVING INSTRUMENT PROBLEMS AND WAS CONCERNED THAT HE WOULD LOSE COMMUNICATONS CAPABILITY. THE CONTROLLER LOST CONTACT WITH THE PILOT AFTER STARTING A NO-GYRO ASR APPROACH. NO DEFECTS WERE DISCOVERED DURING DISASSEMBLY OF THE VACUUM PUMPS, OR THE VACUUM AND ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS. LIGHT BULBS IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED FILAMENT STRETCHING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Dec 1990 | Piper PA-28-151 | Jupiter, Florida, United States | Zimmerman, Barry L. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 1990 | Piper PA-28-161 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | Chandler Air Service | No injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 1990 | Piper PA-28-140 | Agua Dulce, California, United States | R.i. Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Apr 1990 | Piper PA-28-140 | Forsyth, Montana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1990 | Piper PA-28-161 | Sebastian, Florida, United States | FL Institute of Technology | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 Feb 1990 | Piper PA-28-161 | Roseland, Florida, United States | PRO Flite of Vero, Inc. | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Apr 1990 | Beechcraft M35 | Romeo, Michigan, United States | John E. Singer | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Jun 1990 | Piper PA-46-310P | Lakeville, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Apr 1990 | Sikorsky S-58F | Southfield, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Feb 1990 | North American NA-265-40 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | Detroit City Police | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 1990 | Beechcraft A36 | Gaylord, Michigan, United States | G M N Leasing | Fatal | 4 |
| 23 Jul 1990 | Piper PA-28 | Plymouth, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |