Norfolk, NE, USA
N8675P
PIPER PA-24-260
The non-instrument rated pilot and passenger departed on a night cross-country flight. When the airplane did not show up at its destination, a search was initiated. The following evening, the airplane wreckage was located in an open field. A local resident near the accident site reported that she saw an airplane flying really low, at night. She added, that at the time she saw the airplane, the weather was misty and cold. Around the time the witness saw the airplane, the automated weather reporting station, located about 12.5 miles from the accident site, reported a cloud ceiling at 700 feet mean sea level. The airplane collided with the top of a tree, located along a tree line that crossed the airplane's flight path. A postaccident examination did not disclose any evidence of a pre-impact mechanical malfunction. The accident information is consistent with a non-instrument rated pilot trying to fly beneath the clouds at low altitude, at night, in marginal weather conditions. Due to the night and instrument meteorological conditions the pilot most likely would not have been able to see and avoid the tree; the impact and subsequent ground collision were consistent with a controlled flight into terrain event.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 21, 2010, at an undetermined time, a single-engine Piper PA-24-260, Comanche airplane, N8675P, impacted terrain near Norfolk, Nebraska. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by Four Wins LLC., Omaha, Nebraska. No flight plan had been filed for the night cross-country flight that reportedly originated from the Chamberlain Municipal airport (9V9), Chamberlain, South Dakota, about 1700, and was destined for the Millard airport (MLE), Omaha, Nebraska. The airplane was reported overdue, and an ALNOT (alert notification) for the aircraft was issued. A search was conducted and the airplane wreckage was located about 1600, on November 22, 2010 in an open field. There were no reported witnesses to the accident; however, an individual located a few miles from the accident site, reported that on the evening of 21 November, she saw an airplane "flying really low" at night time, before disappearing out of sight. She also added that the time was between 1830 and 1930 and the weather was misty and cold. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane, single-engine land. There was no record of him holding an instrument rating. The pilot was issued a third class FAA medical, on August 11, 2010. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that he had accumulated approximately 780 total flight hours, with about 90 hours in the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was a 1965 model Piper PA-24-260, Comanche, which was a single-engine, low-wing airplane, with retractable tricycle landing gear. The airplane was powered by a Lycoming IO-540 reciprocating engine, rated at 260 horsepower. The engine drove a McCauley 2-blade constant speed propeller. A review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks revealed the last annual inspection was completed on May 6, 2010 with an airframe total time of about 6,223 hours. At the time of the annual inspection, the airplane's engine had accumulated approximately 1,503.3 hours since overhaul. On October 7, 2010 the airplane's vacuum pump was replaced at a tachometer time of 3230.5 hours. METEOROLOGICAL The automated weather station at Norfolk Regional Airport/Karl Stefan Memorial Field (KOFK), North Fork, Nebraska, located about 12.5 miles southwest of the accident site reported at 1856, winds from 360 degrees at 7 knots, temperature 28 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 25 degrees Fahrenheit, visibility 10 miles, an overcast ceiling at 900 feet with a variable ceiling of 800 to 1300 feet, altimeter pressure setting 29.86 inches of Mercury. At 1956, the automated station (KOFK) reported, winds from 330 degrees at 5 knots, temperature 28 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 25 degrees Fahrenheit, visibility 10 miles, an overcast ceiling at 700 feet, altimeter pressure setting 29.87 inches of Mercury. COMMUNICATIONS The pilot was not in contact with an Air Traffic Control facility, nor was there any reported emergency or distress calls from the pilot. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION An on-site examination was conducted by the NTSB, FAA, and a technical representative from the Piper Aircraft Company. The airplane came to rest on the fuselage's belly, in an open, rolling field. The initial impact point appeared to be a tree positioned among a tree line that bordered the field on two sides. The tree line was located across the airplane's flight path. Additionally, the impact marks left on the tree were nearly parallel to the ground, consistent with the airplane being in a level attitude at the time of impact. From the initial impact point with the tree line, to the main wreckage, the wreckage path continued on a 140 degree heading, for approximately 800 feet. The initial impact point with terrain, contained several ground cuts that appeared consistent with propeller strikes. Located near the ground impact point was about a 4 foot outboard section of the right wing; the right aileron was also found near the section. Numerous pieces of the airplane and personnel effects were spread along wreckage path. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, both wings, engine, and the empennage. The fuselage was nearly separated into two sections just aft of the cabin area; the front section of the fuselage, at the instrument panel, was twisted about 180 degrees. All of the instruments and engine gauges appeared to have received some impact damage. The altimeter was set with the barometric setting of 29.81, and the flight hour meter read 3,507.9 hours. The landing gear switch was in the up (retracted) position. The fuel selector was on the right main fuel tank. There was no post-impact fire. The right wing was nearly separated from the fuselage near the wing root. Fuel was visible from the filler neck of the right wing auxiliary fuel tank; the right main landing gear was found in the gear well. The left wing had a slight twist in the outboard section of the wing, and less damage when compared to the right wing. When viewed from the fuel filler neck, the left wing's auxiliary fuel tank also had visible fuel present. The left main gear was in the extended (down) position. Cable continuity was confirmed from the "T" column to the stabilizer. Aileron cable continuity was confirmed from the cockpit controls to the left and right aileron bellcrank locations. The flap actuators were found in the up position. The elevator pitch trim was in the neutral position. The 2-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine crankshaft propeller flange. Starting about mid-span, the first blade was bent toward the non-cambered side, to about a 90 degree angle. Blade two exhibited a similar bend to the first blade and the entire blade was twisted inside the prop hub. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION The Douglas County Morgue, Stanton, Nebraska, conducted an autopsy on the pilot on November 24, 2010. The cause of death was determined to be "blunt trauma ... with multiple injuries" The FAA Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, conducted toxicological testing. The pilot tested negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol; Ibuprofen was detected in the urine. TEST AND RESEARCH The aircraft wreckage was retrieved to a salvage yard, where the NTSB along with a technical representative from Lycoming examined the engine. Continuity was established from the propeller flange to the rear gear drive section of the engine. The engine rotated without hesitation or binding, and a borescope of the cylinders did not reveal any abnormalities. Both magnetos rotated freely and produced spark at each terminal. The top sparkplugs were removed and examined. When compared to the Champion check-a-plug chart, the top spark plugs exhibited "normal to worn-out normal" operation. The vacuum pump remained attached to the engine. The vacuum pump drive shaft rotated freely by hand and movement of the vanes could be heard. The examination of the engine did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical anomalies.
The pilot’s decision to continue the flight into instrumental meteorological conditions which resulted in a collision with a tree.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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