Piper PA-28-151 N151SV

Summary

On 15 October 2012 at about 02:08 local time, a Piper PA-28-151 registered N151SV was involved in an accident near Marana, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 October 2012 at 02:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Marana, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

32.3239, -111.4542

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-151

Registration

N151SV

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Benson → Imperial

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

WPR13FA010

1 person died.

The pilot’s flight in dark night conditions with no visual reference and his subsequent spatial disorientation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a night cross-country flight, the airplane collided in the unpopulated desert located in between the departure and destination airports. The non-instrument-rated pilot had amassed an estimated 185 hours of total flight experience, of which 7.3 hours were conducted in nighttime conditions. Although the pilot had made this trip twice before, those flights were not conducted in dark night conditions. For the first 30 minutes after departure, radar returns for the flight were uniformly spaced and at uniform altitudes, with the track was consistent with a route of flight toward the destination airport. About 4 minutes before the end of the data, radar returns indicate a period consistent with the airplane making a series of turns with fluctuations in altitude. The maneuvering and altitude variations were inconsistent with the intended route of flight, and along with the pilot's inexperience in night time conditions, he likely experienced the effects of spatial disorientation as the accident occurred in an area devoid of visual references. Ground scar analysis, impact signatures, and wreckage fragmentation patterns disclosed that the airplane impacted terrain in a slightly nose-low attitude with high forward velocity. A review of the pilot's daily work activities revealed that he had not obtained his normal amount of rest before the accident and was likely fatigued; however, the effect the fatigue would have had on his operation of the airplane could not be determined. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.