ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 150811
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 November 2012 |
| Time: | 18:20 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-180 Archer |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N40781 |
| MSN: | 28-7405065 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2541 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A4A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Adams Township, Hillsdale County, MI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Lebanon, OH (I68) |
| Hillsdale, MI (JYM) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
After a 1.5-hour uneventful night visual flight rules cross-country flight and about 18 miles from the destination airport, the pilot contacted the airport UNICOM and requested that the runway lights be turned on. Subsequently, the airport manager who was monitoring the UNICOM frequency turned on the runway lights. The airplane did not land, and no distress calls from the pilot were reported. The wreckage was found 1.25 miles east of the approach end of the runway. Examination of the wreckage indicated that the airplane struck the trees in a shallow descent. The airport manager and another pilot reported that hazy conditions existed about the time of the accident. No mechanical anomalies were discovered with the airframe or engine.
The pilot only had 16.4 hours of night flight time, and his most recent logged night flight time was about 10 years before the accident flight. Family members stated that the pilot did not like to fly at night. The selected runway’s precision approach path indicator (PAPI) system was not functional. An experienced pilot who landed his airplane at the airport shortly before the accident reported that he chose to land on another runway after circling the airport and noting that the PAPI was nonfunctional because it was dark on that side of the airport. Examination of the altimeter at the accident site showed that 30.38 inches of Mercury (inHg) was set in the instrument’s Kollsman window; however, the area barometric pressure at the time of the accident was 30.17 inHg. The altimeter was bench tested and found to be functional. The inaccurate Kollsman setting would have shown a higher indicated altitude on the altimeter in relation to the airplane’s actual altitude over terrain. Thus, the pilot likely thought that he was flying at a higher altitude if he was relying solely on the altimeter instead of on outside visual references during the approach. The combination of the pilot’s lack of night flying time, the nonfunctional PAPI system, and the inaccurate altimeter setting all contributed to the accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain during a straight-in night visual flight rules approach to land in hazy weather conditions. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's lack of recent night flying experience, the nonfunctional precision approach path indicator system on the selected runway, and the inaccurate Kollsman setting in the altimeter.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=40781
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Nov-2012 03:22 | Alpine Flight | Added |
| 22-Nov-2012 11:26 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Nov-2012 09:40 | RobertMB | Updated [Registration, Source] |
| 27-Nov-2012 13:25 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 28-Nov-2017 13:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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