Piper PA-32R-300 N1228H

Summary

On 5 September 2009 at about 15:42 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N1228H was involved in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 September 2009 at 15:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

36.1306, -96.0803

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N1228H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tulsa → Dallas

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09FA562

5 people died.

The non-instrument-rated pilot’s decision to attempt flight in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and an in-flight collision with a radio tower guy wire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument-rated private pilot obtained a standard weather briefing for a cross-country flight and was advised that a visual flight rules (VFR) flight was not recommended. The ceiling was 600 feet overcast with 4 miles visibility. Approximately 4 hours later, the pilot radioed ground control for taxi and a VFR clearance. The controller informed the pilot that the airport was in instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions. The pilot then requested and received an IFR clearance. The pilot departed and had to be reminded by the local and departure controllers to make several course and altitude changes. The pilot acknowledged the changes but took no action. The pilot was also warned of antennas near his position. Review of radar data revealed the pilot's altitude varied from 1,100 feet mean sea level (msl) to 1,600 feet (msl). The last radar target was at 1,200 feet msl in a left descending turn although the pilot had been instructed to climb to 4,000 feet 2 minutes before the accident. During periods of low visibility, a pilot is particularly vulnerable to spatial disorientation. Further, the pilot's descending turn when he was supposed to be climbing is indicative of spatial disorientation. The airplane then collided with a guy wire on a 600-foot radio transmission tower at a terrain elevation of 860 feet msl. Postaccident examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly, and accessories revealed no anomalies. The altimeter, transponder, and transponder automatic altitude reporting system test was current. The gyroscopic instruments were destroyed and could not be examined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.