Piper PA-28-236 N2186U

Summary

On 31 October 2021 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-236 registered N2186U was involved in an accident near Orleans, Massachusetts, 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

31 October 2021 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Orleans, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Chatham Municipal Airport (CQX)

Coordinates

41.7544, -69.8849

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-236

Registration

N2186U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reading → Chatham

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA22LA043

1 person died.

The pilot’s spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of airplane control while maneuvering over water in dark night conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed on a cross-country flight, and after takeoff, the airplane flew in a straight line at an altitude about 8,000 ft mean sea level (msl). It began a descent toward a presumed destination airport in dark night visual meteorological conditions. Continuing on the established track, the airplane descended to and maintained 1,000 ft msl. The flightpath turned slightly before the airplane overflew and continued past the destination airport, turned northeast and flew over the Atlantic Ocean, then made a 270° left turn to the southeast. During the overwater portion of the flight, the airplane’s altitude varied between 750 ft and 1,100 ft msl. Before track data were lost, the airplane began a descending right turn from about 1,025 ft to 675 ft msl. The debris field located about 2.5 miles offshore and 7 miles from the destination airport. The airplane was not recovered. The uniformity of the flight track and altitude data for most of the flight suggests that the pilot was using the airplane’s autopilot. After overflying the airport, the airplane’s track and altitude variations were consistent with the pilot having disengaged the autopilot to hand-fly the airplane; however, continued flight over the ocean would have resulted in a near absence of cultural lighting and external visual references, requiring the use of instruments to maintain control. The pilot was neither qualified nor proficient to conduct the flight by reference to instruments and would have been vulnerable to the onset of spatial disorientation during the overwater portion of the flight. It is likely that, while maneuvering over the ocean, the pilot became spatially disoriented, resulting in a loss of control and impact with the water.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.