Piper PA-32R-300 N1919H

Summary

On 21 December 2007 at about 00:00 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N1919H, operated by Wisconsin Aviation, was involved in an accident near Warrens, Wisconsin, 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.

Date

21 December 2007 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Warrens, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

44.2164, -90.4283

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N1919H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Wisconsin Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eau Claire → Watertown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CHI08FA054

1 person died.

The decision by the pilot to fly into known adverse weather, and the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. Contributing factors include the clouds and the night conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The air traffic controller who was working the tower position at the departure airport reported that the accident airplane had landed at the airport. Within about 10 - 15 minutes, the pilot departed again. It was dark, and the weather was "just above" visual flight rule (VFR) minimums during the airplane's arrival and departure. The pilot did not file a flight plan. Radar track data indicated that the accident airplane flew about a 131-degree magnetic heading at about 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) from the departure airport to the airspace near the accident site at the time associated with the accident. The radar track data indicated that the airplane was in a left, descending turn prior to being "lost" from radar contact, consistent with spatial disorientation. The post-crash inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies. The accident site bordered an area of instrument flight rule (IFR) conditions, and was within the area with marginal VFR conditions at the time of the accident. Weather data obtained from a reporting station about 100 miles east-northeast of the accident site indicated multiple freezing levels, first at approximately 1,000 feet above ground level (agl) with temperatures below freezing to 1,500 feet, and the second freezing level at approximately 4,746 feet msl.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.