Piper PA 23-250 N6068Y

Summary

On 1 November 2013 at about 20:15 local time, a Piper PA 23-250 registered N6068Y, operated by Garlam Aviation Co, was involved in an accident near Caledonia, Minnesota, United States. 4 people were on board and 3 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 November 2013 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Caledonia, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Houston County (KCHU)

Coordinates

43.5953, -91.5014

Aircraft

Piper PA 23-250

Registration

N6068Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

2

Operator

Garlam Aviation Co

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Troy → Caledonia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14FA034

3 people died.

The pilot's loss of control for reasons that could not be determined because the postaccident airplane examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, a pilot-rated passenger seated in the front right seat, and two additional passengers departed on a cross-country flight in a twin-engine airplane. As they neared an airport, about halfway to their final destination airport, the pilot was cleared by an air traffic controller to conduct an instrument approach to the airport; shortly afterward, the pilot cancelled the clearance. There was no further communication with the pilot. The airplane was found about 590 feet northeast of the runway by a resident who happened to notice the wreckage. Examination of the airframe and engines revealed residual fuel was at the site and in both engines' fuel system components. The landing gear and the flaps were in the retracted positions. The examination did not find any abnormalities with the airframe or engines that would have prevented normal operation. The surviving passenger, who had flown with the pilots on numerous occasions, stated that they would typically stop for a break about halfway to their destination airport, but he could not recall any of the accident details.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.