Piper PA28-236 N129AB

Summary

On 14 March 2009 at about 18:15 local time, a Piper PA28-236 registered N129AB, operated by Charles W Shaffer, was involved in an accident near Pomona, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 March 2009 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Pomona, California, United States

Nearest airport

Brackett Field Airport (KPOC)

Coordinates

34.0525, -117.7972

Aircraft

Piper PA28-236

Registration

N129AB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Charles W Shaffer

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Verne → Mojave

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09FA150

2 people died.

The pilot's spatial disorientation while flying in instrument meteorological conditions that resulted in a loss of control of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent instrument flying experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed the airport on an instrument-flight-rules clearance. The weather at the airport was 500-foot overcast, with a visibility of 1 mile. The overcast layer was solid up through 3,100 feet mean sea level (msl). The departure instructions were to climb on heading 150 to 1,400 feet msl, then initiate a climbing turn to heading 130, intersect the VOR 164 radial outbound until 9 miles south of the airport, and climb to 4,000 feet. Just after takeoff, at approximately 1,400 feet, the airplane made a climbing turn to 146 degrees and continued to climb on that course for about 1.5 minutes. At 2,500 feet, the airplane started a right-hand turn. The deviation of the airplane’s course prompted the terminal radar approach controller (TRACON) to ask if the pilot had canceled his clearance. The pilot responded in a steady even tone, “Negative, nine alpha bravo still climbing.” Five seconds later the airplane was no longer in radar contact. The radar track depicted the airplane in a climbing right-hand turn in a tightening spiral directly over the accident location. The aircraft wreckage was located on a hillside about 2 miles south of the departure airport and in the vicinity of the last radar return. A review of the pilot’s flight records revealed that he held an instrument rating issued in August 2006, and had logged just two instrument approaches since January 2007, neither within the last 90 days. Additionally, he had accumulated 0.8 hours of simulated instrument time and 0.8 hours of actual instrument time since January 2007. There is no record of the pilot obtaining an instrument proficiency check within the 12 months prior to the accident. The tone of the pilot’s response to TRACON’s radio query implied that he was not aware that the airplane had deviated from the departure clearance and was in a steadily tightening right-hand turn. This lack of awareness could be attributed to spatial disorientation or a distraction away from the primary flight instruments.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.